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Brazilian pink tarantula. Brazilian white-knee tarantula spider (Acanthoscurria geniculata). Colombian purple tarantula

There are about 42 thousand species of spiders in the world. Let's find among them the one who can rightfully be called the most big spider in the world.

So, the top 10 largest spiders in the world:

Nephila

Nephiles - these spiders stand out from the entire ten largest spiders in that they weave webs, the other 9 do not do this.

These spiders are also known as: giant tree spider, banana spider, golden weaver. There are about 30 varieties of Nephila, the size of females of this species can reach 12 cm.

There are cases of golden spiders attacking humans, but the poison of these spiders does not pose a serious danger to humans.

Tegenaria is also called the giant house spider - the span of the legs of these spiders reaches 13 cm.

These spiders are excellent at running short distances. Cannibalism is very common among them. The habitat of this type of spider is Africa and Asia, most often they can be found in caves or abandoned buildings, however, nowadays these spiders are rare.

Cerbal Arabian

The Arabian cerbal was discovered quite recently - in 2003. The maximum officially recorded paw span is 14 centimeters, however, according to some information, it can reach 20 cm. Female cerbals are larger than males.

Cerbals live in the desert dunes of Israel and Jordan. They are active only at night, like most desert inhabitants.

Brazilian wandering spider

It looks too scary, the length of the body including legs is approximately 17 cm. It is listed as one of the most poisonous in the world, their bite is life-threatening. Living in the tropics South America, spiders are so named because they do not have one habitat. The wandering spider does not knit a web, but is always in search of a victim.

The species is very interesting in that some spiders overtake their prey by jumping, while others run and develop a fairly high speed. They hunt at night and hide in secluded places during the day.

They hunt mainly insects, but can cope with reptiles and birds larger than themselves.

This is a huge spider, part of the tarantula family. The leg span of this spider is more than 30 cm. It lives in the forests of the tropics and subtropics and is a burrowing species. Color ranges from dark gray to bright brown. The predator's paws are covered with hairs.

The baboon spider is active at night and its diet includes insects and small vertebrates. It kills its prey by injecting poison. Sensing danger, it rises on its hind legs, pretends to be intimidating and knocks on the ground with its forelimbs, making sounds similar to grinding. The venom of this spider is dangerous to humans.

Colombian purple tarantula

This tarantula belongs to the tarantula family and, together with its legs, can be more than 20 cm in length (there is an officially recorded leg span of 34.05 cm). Lives in the tropics of South America.

Sometimes you can see a rather terrible sight when a spider eats birds, but there is no danger for people. Most often it feeds on insects and small spiders, but can also eat frogs and rodents. Females can live about 15 years, males only 2-3.

Phalanges, bihorci or salpugi - belong to the order of phalanges of the arachnid class. The span of the legs of these phalanges can reach 30 cm, the body length is 5-8 cm. The brownish body and limbs are covered with hairs, in front there are tentacles similar to legs

Camel spiders go hunting at night, their menu is varied: beetles, lizards, mice, chicks and many other animals. They live in the deserts of all continents except Australia.

Phalanxes are capable of running at speeds of up to 2 km/h, which is why they are also known as the Wind Scorpion. They differ in that during defense they emit an unpleasant squeak.

Brazilian salmon-pink tarantula (Lasiodora parahybana)

Found in Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century in 1917, body length up to 10 cm, paw size up to 30 cm. People often keep it at home as an exotic pet.

Males have a small body and longer legs, while the female's body is larger, weighing up to 100 grams. Females can live up to 15 years. For self-defense from other predators, the tarantula shakes off its allergenic hairs, but if this does not help, then it raises its front legs and prepares to attack.

The native Australian is the largest spider in the world, known as the giant crab spider due to the fact that its legs resemble those of a crab. Lives in wooden buildings and crevices.

Individuals measuring 30 cm are gray or brown in color, but some have white or red spots. The spines on the legs are clearly visible, the body is fluffy.

These spiders are called hunters because of their ability to hunt, and because high speed movements. They are excellent jumpers. To kill prey, a poison is injected that is not dangerous to humans. They feed on various invertebrates. People can only be bitten in self-defense.

Goliath tarantula

The spider is of impressive size, can reach 170 grams, its height including legs is 30 cm, belongs to the tarantula family. Lives in the tropics of South America. It builds burrows up to half a meter deep with the entrance covered with cobwebs. Females can survive up to 25 years, males - up to 6.

Goliath suddenly sneaks up and quickly pounces on its prey, poisoning it with its poisonous fangs. It feeds on frogs, small snakes, mice and birds.

The Goliath tarantula is capable of producing powerful sounds with its chelicerae, which can be heard even 5 meters away. To defend themselves, they use their bright brown hairs, which irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, which the spider shakes off its body towards the enemy.

The largest spider in Russia

There are large spiders in Russia too - these are South Russian tarantulas. This spider is also known as Mizgir.

This species belongs to the wolf spider family. The size of the female of this spider reaches 3 cm, completely covered with thick gray hairs. Tarantulas dig very deep vertical burrows, feed on insects, and can bite a person, but not fatally.

The tarantula spider, or tarantula spider, is a large spider, the size of which, including its legs, can exceed 20 cm. These spiders are often kept at home. Tarantula spiders belong to the phylum Arthropods, class Arachnids, order Spiders, suborder Mygalomorpha, family Tartar spiders (Theraphosidae).

Tarantula spiders got their name from engravings created by German artist and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, where a large spider is depicted attacking a hummingbird. She saw a spider attack a bird during her stay in Suriname.

There is confusion in some sources due to incorrect translation, where all large spiders, including tarantulas, are called tarantula. In fact, tarantulas are classified in the infraorder of araneomorphic spiders, and tarantulas are mygalomorphic spiders that have a completely different chelicerae structure, due to which they are distinguished by such large body sizes with a leg span reaching 28-30 cm. More detailed description You can find the tarantula at this link.

Tarantula spiders, types, photos and names

Currently, the family of tarantula spiders is divided into 13 subfamilies, including many species. Descriptions of some tarantula spiders are given below:

Brazilian black and white tarantula spider(Acanthoscurria brocklehursti)

It has a rather aggressive, unpredictable character, bright coloring and intensive growth. The body size is from 7 to 9 cm. The spider's leg span is from 18 to 23 cm. The black and white tarantula lives in Brazil, hides between the roots of trees or between stones, and can also dig holes, although it can often be seen outside of any shelter. The lifespan of females is 15 years. Comfortable temperature for keeping this spider – from 25 to 27 degrees Celsius, air humidity – 70-80%.

Brachypelma Smitha, aka Mexican red-knee tarantula spider(Brachypelma smithi)

a species of spider native to Mexico and the southern United States. These are large spiders with a body length of up to 7-8 cm and a leg span of up to 17 cm. The main color of the body of a tarantula spider is dark brown or almost black, individual areas on the legs are covered with orange and red spots, sometimes with a white or yellow border. The body is densely covered with light pink (sometimes brown) hairs. Representatives of the species are especially calm and non-aggressive, and have low toxicity of poison. Females live up to 25-30 years, the life expectancy of males is about 4 years. The diet of spiders includes various insects, lizards and rodents. The ideal temperature for keeping a tarantula spider is 24-28 degrees with an air humidity of 70%.

Avicularia purpurea

a species of South American tarantulas, widespread in Ecuador. The body length of the tarantula is about 5-6 cm. The span of the legs is no more than 14 cm. At a quick glance, the spider looks black, but when caught on it sun rays it can be seen that the cephalothorax, paws and chelicerae are an intense purple-blue color, the bristles on the paws are brick-colored, and the hairs near the mouth are orange-red. Favorite place The habitats of this spider are pastures, tree hollows, as well as gaps under the roof and cracks in the walls of habitable premises. Representatives of the species are non-aggressive, rather fast and timid, unpretentious in care and food, so they are often kept at home. The ideal temperature for keeping a tarantula spider varies between 25-28 degrees with air humidity of at least 80-85%.

Avicularia versicolor

a species of tarantula, common in Guadeloupe and the island of Martinique. Representatives of the species grow up to 5-6 cm in length and have a limb span of up to 17 cm. Young specimens are distinguished by a bright blue body with white stripes on the belly. After 8-9 molts, the entire body of the tarantula spider is covered with thin, bright hairs, and the color may appear in red and green tones with a metallic sheen. Tarantula spiders of this species are quite peaceful, they bite only when squeezed into a corner. Unlike most of their relatives, they do not scratch off poisonous hairs, therefore they are a favorite terrarium species and a source of pride for collectors. At home, they eat crickets and cockroaches; an adult needs one frog or mouse per month. The lifespan of females is 8 years, males - no more than 3 years.

Aphonopelma seemanni

typical representative of fauna Central America, distributed from Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Panama and Honduras. Usually lives in burrows. The inhabitants of Costa Rica are distinguished by their black color with white stripes on their legs; the spiders of the Nicaraguan population are dark brown with beige stripes on their legs. The body size of a mature spider is 6 cm, the leg span is about 15 cm. These spiders are not aggressive towards people, do not have toxic poison (except for burning hairs), and are characterized by weak growth rates and longevity (females live up to 30 years). That's why this type Tarantulas are very popular among spider lovers. Comfortable temperature for Aphonopelma seemanni is 24-27 degrees with air humidity at 70-80%.

Brachypelma boehmei

lives in Mexico, preferring to live in burrows. The body length of adult specimens with a leg span reaches 15-18 cm, the length excluding legs is 7 cm. In addition to their large size, spiders are distinguished by their exceptionally bright black and orange color. These tarantulas are calm and unpretentious; in captivity they feed on locusts, cockroaches and worms. The lifespan of males is 3-4 years, females live much longer - more than 20 years. Optimal temperature for keeping these tarantulas - 25-27 degrees with a humidity of 70-75%. Due to unauthorized trapping and trade, the tarantula Brachypelma boehmei is included in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on international trade species wild fauna and endangered flora) as endangered.

Brachypelma klaasi

a Mexican species of tarantula spiders, whose representatives are distinguished by a massive body and short powerful legs with a span of 14-16 cm. This type of spider has a black and orange color, like Brachypelma boehmei, but is distinguished by the presence of thick orange-red hairs covering the stomach and legs. Tarantula spiders of this species live in Mexican semi-deserts and high mountain forests. They are distinguished by an even, calm character. Female tarantula spiders live up to 20-25 years. Comfortable air humidity for these spiders should be 60-70%, air temperature – from 26 to 28 degrees. The tarantula Brachypelma klaasi is endangered and is therefore listed under CITES.

Cyclosternum fasciatum

one of the smallest tarantula spiders, the maximum leg span of which is only 12 cm. But, nevertheless, in terms of body size it is in no way inferior to its relatives: females grow up to 5 cm in length with a leg span of 10-12 cm, the length of males is 3.5 cm with a paw span of up to 9.5 cm. The body of spiders is painted in dark tones with a reddish tint: the cephalothorax is red or brown, the belly is black with red stripes, the legs can be gray, black or brown. Favorite natural place The habitats of these tarantulas are the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Guatemala. At home, the tarantula spider can be quite nervous and aggressive. The comfortable temperature for keeping the tarantula Cyclosternum fasciatum is 26-28 degrees with an air humidity of 75-80%.

Chilean rose tarantula(Grammostola rosea)

a very beautiful tarantula spider, one of the record holders for the number of sales among representatives of its family. Overall size an adult spider, taking into account the legs, is 15-16 cm. The color of the body is of various variations Brown: brown, chestnut and pink in places. The body and paws are densely strewn with light hairs. The species' range covers the southwestern United States and Chile, including the Atacama Desert. Comfortable daytime temperature for this type of tarantula is 25 degrees during the day and 18-20 degrees at night, with an air humidity of 60-70%. The spider is non-aggressive and scratches its hairs very rarely. The lifespan of females is 15-20 years.

Theraphose Blond, aka goliath tarantula(Theraphosa blondi)

the largest spider in the world. The Guinness Book of Records included a specimen whose leg span was 28 cm. The body dimensions of a female goliath tarantula reach 10 cm, for males - 8.5 cm, and the weight of an adult spider can be 170 g. Despite their impressive size, goliath tarantulas have modest in disposition, brown in color, and the legs of the spiders are densely strewn with red-brown hairs. Goliath tarantulas inhabit the tropics in the territories of Suriname, Venezuela, Guyana and northern Brazil, where they hunt mice, small snakes, toads, lizards and frogs. Thanks to the ban on the export of animals from their habitats, goliath tarantulas are a huge rarity not only for terrarium enthusiasts, but also for collectors. The comfortable temperature for keeping the goliath tarantula is 22-24 degrees with an air humidity of 75-80%. The spider is quite aggressive and can bite its offender.

Reproduction of tarantula spiders

Male tarantulas reach reproductive age much faster than females. In mature males, a cymbium forms on the pedipalps, a special reservoir for seminal fluid, and tibal hooks grow on the front legs, designed to hold the female during mating. Before breeding begins, the male tarantula weaves a web, covers it with seminal fluid, and then fills his cymbium with it. When a male and female meet, they perform a special ritual demonstrating their belonging general appearance. The mating process can last a few seconds or drag on for many hours. The male uses his tibial hooks to restrain his partner's chelicerae, and uses his pedipalps to transfer seminal fluid inside her body. During or after mating, a hungry female tarantula often eats the male, so after a successful act the male tends to run away.

A few months later, the female tarantula spider makes a nest from the web, where she lays from 50 to 2000 eggs. Their number depends on the type of tarantula spider. Then, from this nest, the female forms a cocoon, which is often spherical in shape and contains bristles from the spider’s abdomen: they serve as additional protection for the eggs. During the incubation period lasting from 20 to 106 days (which also depends on the type of spider), the female protects the future offspring, “broods” and periodically turns the cocoon. At this time she becomes especially aggressive.

If there is a shortage of food, the female may well eat her own cocoon with eggs.

The female tarantula spider carries a cocoon with eggs. Photo by: Jetlagvoyage

After a certain period of time, newborn nymph spiders emerge from the eggs, which at first do not feed at all, so they live together without the threat of cannibalism. After 2 molts, the nymph becomes a larva, which is similar to a fully formed spider, but, unlike it, still has a reserve nutrients in the abdomen.

After some time, the larva molts and turns into a young tarantula spider.

Nymphs of the tarantula Acanthoscurria geniculata. Photo credit: Exoskeleton Invertebrates

Molting of a tarantula spider

It is shedding that is especially important point life cycle spiders After each exoskeleton shed, the spider grows 1.5 times and even changes color. A young tarantula molts monthly, while an adult tarantula molts once a year. Spiders molt lying on their backs, and in the long process of stretching the chelicerae and pedipalps from the old exoskeleton, some limbs may be lost, but they will be restored over the next 3-4 molts. The age of a spider is determined by the number of molts.

Some spiders refuse to eat some time before molting: in small spiderlings this can happen a week before molting, in adults - 1-3 months.

Signs of the upcoming molting of a tarantula spider can be a darkening of the spider's abdomen or a darkening of the overall color of the tarantula.

Tarantula spider at home

Tarantula spiders are extremely unpretentious and easily bred in captivity, so they have long gained fame as popular pets. To avoid cannibalism, tarantulas should be kept alone.

Terrarium

For ground And burrowing (burrowing) spiders will need an elongated terrarium. Its bottom should be covered with a layer of coconut substrate of at least 7-10 cm. When keeping young spiders, the litter is changed after each molt, for adult spiders - once every 4 months.

Nornym For tarantula spiders, it is advisable to create something like a burrow in the terrarium: for example, place an inverted cup with a broken edge or half a shell coconut with a cut-out entrance - they will imitate a hole for your pet.

Spiders move well on vertical surfaces, so the tarantula terrarium should be equipped with a ventilated lid.

Temperature

Caring for a tarantula spider is quite simple. The temperature in the spider's home should not fall below +25 degrees; for this, an infrared heater or thermal bedding is used. Sudden changes in temperature can be fatal to pet tarantulas.

Air humidity

Tropical species need high humidity air level is 80-90%, so you will need regular (every 2-3 days) spraying of the substrate warm water. For semi-desert species, humidity in the range of 70-80% is sufficient. Before spraying, make sure that the substrate is completely dry. You can spray only 1 corner of the terrarium.

The required level of humidity can also be maintained by evaporating water from a bowl of clean water, which must be in the terrarium. You need to change the water in the drinking bowl every day.

What to feed a tarantula spider at home?

Tarantula spiders are omnivores, the main thing is that the size of the food offered is smaller than the spider’s body.

Young tarantulas are fed with small cockroaches, fruit flies, and crickets. You can also add bloodworms or chopped mealworms to the food.

Adult spiders are fed 1-2 times a week. Suitable food for the tarantula spider is live crickets, marbled cockroaches, locusts, mealworms, and bloodworms. Some breeders feed their spiders newborn mice.

The tarantula spider's food must be 2 times smaller than the spider itself and preferably alive. This will attract the tarantula's attention to the food. Usually spiders attack the victim, injecting their poison into it and thus paralyzing the prey. After this, tarantulas tear apart the victim with powerful chelicerae, injecting gastric juice into it so that the food is digested. After consuming food, the tarantula spider can starve for a week, and sometimes for several months. The frequency of feeding the spider should be no more than 1-2 times a week. Leftover food must be removed from the terrarium so that it does not begin to rot.

Please note that all manipulations in the terrarium house tarantula spider It is better to do this with long tweezers to avoid being bitten by your pet.

In an original way Tarantulas of the genus Avicularia use protection: they blind the enemy by shooting a stream of excrement in his direction.
The giant goliath tarantula has one competitor in nature: the Heteropoda maxima spider, discovered in Laos, surpasses the goliath in its leg span of 35 cm, but is significantly inferior in body size, not exceeding 4.6 cm.
For reasons unknown to science, tarantula spiders can starve for about 2 years. And some species even know how to swim and dive.
When treating arachnophobia (fear of spiders), in order to successfully overcompensate fear, patients are recommended to get a tarantula spider, and, according to statistics, this method really works.

Brazilian black and white spider- a very rare and expensive species of tarantula. These are quite large spiders, they are not very active.

Habitat: fields and pampas of Brazil.
Type: earthly.
Food: Young spiders feed on small crickets and other small insects. Adults eat crickets and other large insects, small lizards, newborn mice.
Size: 16-30 cm.
Growth rate: average.
Temperature: 26.6-29.4"C.
Humidity: 75-80%. All tarantulas, which have three phalanges, can drink from a shallow and wide saucer.
Personality: calm.
Housing: young spiders live in a transparent plastic container with holes for fresh air. Adults require a terrarium with a volume of 35-60 liters. The bottom area of the terrarium is more important than the height.
Substrate: 7.5-10 cm of peat moss or humus.
Decoration: logs, driftwood, tree bark, etc., everything that forms secret places. You can put moss on the substrate.

ATTENTION! All tarantulas are poisonous (to varying degrees). For most people, this species is not dangerous, but some may be allergic to the poison. Therefore, be very careful when interacting with tarantulas.

Habitat – Northern Brazil
Diet – animals of suitable size

Acanthoscurria Geniculata L10 eats a frog Acanthoscurria geniculata female L12 eats a male Acanthoscurria Geniculata molt

The Brazilian white-knuckled tarantula spider (Acanthoscurria geniculata) is one of the species of the tarantula family, natural environment whose habitat is the forests of Brazil. Russian name received due to the contrasting white stripes on the black legs. Close-up view with a rapid growth rate: within 3–4 years it reaches sexual maturity and a leg span of 22 cm in females and slightly less in males.

The tarantula Acanthoscurria geniculata are valued as pets due to their size, ease of keeping, and bright, contrasting coloration. If Acanthoscuria geniculata experiences stress, it defends itself with stinging hairs, which can cause serious irritation on human skin. If provoked, this spider may bite, but this is not the main defensive reaction due to the presence of stinging hairs. Their venom is not considered a medical problem, but due to their large size, the bite can be painful.

As we have already seen, muddy waters The Amazons are fraught with a lot of danger, but the land itself cannot be called a safe place either. Sometimes dense tropical forests hide many dangers, some of which appear to us in the form of very small creatures, such as spiders and frogs.

Under the cover of night, many spiders go hunting, including Brazilian black tarantula (lat. Acanthoscurria brocklehursti), which is famous for its aggressive behavior And large sizes. Sometimes representatives of this family of spiders can reach 30 centimeters in diameter. They have a rather menacing appearance and a painful bite. Most species of tarantula spiders prefer to live in warm climates, making the Amazon forest an ideal home for them. Most of them feed on insects, but the black tarantula looks for larger prey - small rodents. It pierces its prey with 2-centimeter poisonous teeth and injects a dose of neuroparalyzing venom, causing the victim to lose the ability to resist and retaliate.

Brazilian black tarantula (lat. Acanthoscurria brocklehursti). Photo by Ruben Olsen

But next door to him is hunting another, smaller in size, but more dangerous spider- This . It got its name because of its nomadic lifestyle. Wandering spiders do not dig holes for themselves and do not weave webs. They are always on the move, so they can be encountered anywhere in South America.

Brazilian wandering spider (lat. Phoneutria fera)

This spider often crawls into human homes, so unexpected encounters with it often happen. He does not attack first and bites only in cases of self-defense. But in one such bite Phoneutria fera injects a large number of probably more venom than any other spider on earth. According to official data, only half of the people bitten in Brazil were injured by this type of spider. Its poison is almost 2 times stronger than poison. It contains neurotoxins that immediately attack nervous system bitten, turning off signals sent to the heart and respiratory muscles. The venom also contains serotonin, which attacks the brain, causing seizures and severe pain. This powerful weapon makes this spider a formidable hunter who can handle any small prey.

It is dangerous for people because it easily adapts to life in populated areas. But he is not the only one who has such a love for cities and people. There is another representative of the arachnid class, which is no less dangerous to humans than the previous species. This is a Scorpio. There are about 100 species of scorpions in South America, 6 of which are deadly. They thrive living in urban environments. There are many hiding places where scorpions can find a safe place.

We all know that at the tip of its tail is the main weapon of any scorpion - a poisonous sting. In Brazil alone, about 30 people die from their bites every year.

Their venom is an effective defense against predators, but most often it is used only for hunting. Scorpions come out at night to search for prey. They hunt small insects and lizards. Just like spiders, its body is covered with thin, sensitive hairs that can pick up the slightest vibrations as it passes by prey. Having reached the victim, the scorpion injects poison that neutralizes it. After some time, the victim's heart and respiratory organs fail.

But even this formidable predator is powerless against the most destructive force of the Amazon.

Stray or wandering ants (lat. Eciton burchellii). Photo by Alex Wild

They wander around tropical forests Central and South America and do not build permanent nests. Instead, wandering ants create temporary "camps" from which to launch their attacks. During long trips, ants carry all their offspring with them. Nothing can leave them - neither rivers, nor deserts, nor human habitations. The only way to avoid meeting them is to stay out of their way.

Photo by Alex Wild

Each such ant inflicts a very painful bite, somewhat reminiscent of a wasp sting. In extreme cases, their venom can cause a person to go into shock. But wandering ants target smaller victims—those they can eat. When a scout detects potential prey, it sends enzyme signals to its “compatriots” using a gland on its abdomen. Thousands of comrades answer his call and immediately attack their prey. After which a terrible fate awaits her - she will be dismembered into many small pieces and dragged to a temporary camp to feed her offspring.