Theraphosa blondi
Latreille 1804
This is the Theraphosa Blondi, Named after the french researcher Leblonde who discovered this species. This is claimed to be the largest spider on earth and she can get a legspan of 12 inches ( 30 centimetres) There are matches all around the world to get the biggest one, there are stories known of individuals of a half pound !! This spider comes from south-America, Surinam, Venezuela, and north-east of Brazil. The are burrowers and dig deep burrows between the roots of the giant trees in the rainforests. The entrance of the burrow is always lightly webbed. The T. blondi is an agressive spider, they eat everything they can grab. They also stridulate, this means that they hiss, sometimes even very loud! The stridulating is for warning their enemys. Next to this they also throw irritating hairs from their abdomen. Males of this species don't have any tibial spurs, they simply don't need them, the female is not agressive to the male during the mating. ( in difference from humans ) Out of an egg-sac come 40-140 young spiders, they grow very fast. Males can be adult in 2 years, females take about 3,5 years to grow to udulthood. Females can live over 12 years.
Keep these spiders in a tank with the sizes; 24x12x12 inches. Give them a thick layer of substrate. ideal is a mixture of coco-pete and vermaculite. This is a substrate wich can be held very moist, and this is needed for T. blondi.( 80% ). Moisturise the substrate daily. |
