(Note from Dan: this species is very rare in the pet trade and, according to the ATS, may not even be existent in the hobby at all. This species is usaully a misidentified C. bechuanicus.)
This is a large fawny-brown spider first described by Pocock in 1897. It has a very distinct 'hump or 'horn' that is rear-facing which has black lines radiating from the horn across the carapace. A native of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, it lives in deep burrows from which it emerges at night to hunt small vertebrates and insects. This is a very aggressive species, certainly not for those new to the hobby, and this spider should not be handled as a bite from this species would be very painful, although their venom is believed to be no more than mildly toxic to humans.
The requirements in captivity are:
As for keeping them as pets, many people keep these in large 12x12x12 (inches) tanks.
Like the other African species they require high humidity levels (above 75%) but you must be careful to avoid the air in the tank becoming stagnant as this appears to be the cause of some deaths in captivity.
As these are deep burrowers, the ideal substrate is peat or peat/ vermiculite mix, this must be at least 4 inches deep.
An open water dish is a must, as is regular mistings to keep that humidity level high!
Food: All standard invertebrates or pinkies (pre-killed NOT live!)
Geographic Range: Mozambique and Zimbabwe (East Africa)
Aggressiveness: Generally considered *very* aggressive.
Temperature range: 75-78 farenheit.
Tarantula Burrow: An article on breeding C. darlingi by Thomas Enzandam
Lelles Tarantula Page (English version): A picture and a good intro
Tarantula Terrain: housing and habitat