Arachnids · Araneae · Theraphosidae

King Baboon Spider

Pelinobius muticus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The king baboon tarantula of East Africa, velvety orange-brown with stout legs, one of the largest on the continent. It digs deep burrows in the soil of the dry savannah, lined with silk, in which it spends almost its entire life waiting for prey to touch the threads at the entrance.

Size

up to 20 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

SavannaDesertCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Savanna Desert Arachnid

3countries 20parks4same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt digs burrows over 1 m deep and can live more than 25 years.
It stridulates by rubbing the bristles of its chelicerae and produces an audible hiss as a warning before it strikes.
Unlike the American tarantulas, the African ones have no urticating hairs: they defend themselves by biting, and their venom causes intense pain and prolonged cramping.
It is one of the longest-lived tarantulas: females can pass twenty-five years.
It is extremely fossorial: it digs tunnels up to two metres deep and virtually never leaves them, so in captivity it is a species that is almost never seen.
It stridulates when disturbed: it rubs the bristles on its chelicerae and pedipalps to produce an audible hiss, a warning uncommon among tarantulas.
Unlike the American tarantulas, the African ones have no urticating hairs; their defence is stridulation and, failing that, the bite.
Its venom is not lethal to people but causes severe, prolonged pain and cramps.