Blonde Theraphosa, or goliath tarantula, is the king of spiders. This tarantula is the largest arachnid on the planet. They don't usually eat birds, but they are big enough to be able to do so — and sometimes they do. The name “tarantula” comes from an 18th-century engraving of another species of hummingbird-eating tarantula, which gave the entire genus Theraphos the name tarantula.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Blonde Theraphosa
Theraphosa blondi is the largest spider in the world, both in terms of weight and size, but the giant hunter spider has a larger leg span. These heavyweights can weigh over 170g and be up to 28cm across with legs spread. Contrary to what their name suggests, these spiders rarely feed on birds.
All arachnids evolved from various arthropods that must have left the oceans about 450 million years ago. Arthropods left the oceans and settled on land to explore and find food sources. Trigonotarbida was the first known arachnid. It is said that it appeared 420-290 million years ago. It looked very similar to modern spiders, but it lacked any silk-producing glands. As the largest spider species, the blonde theraphosa is a source of great human intrigue and fear.
Video: The blonde theraphosa
These arachnids are incredibly well adapted to survival and actually have a range of defensive features :
- noise — These spiders don't have vocalizations, but that doesn't mean they can't make noise. If threatened, they will rub the bristles on their paws, which makes a buzzing sound. This is called “stridulation” and is used as an attempt to scare would-be predators;
- bites — one might think that this spider's biggest defense would be its large fangs, but these creatures use a different defensive feature when predators look at them. They can rub and loose fine hairs from their belly. These loose hairs irritate the predator's mucous membranes, such as the nose, mouth, and eyes;
- name — although its name “tarantula” comes from a researcher who observed a single spider eating a bird, the blond's teraphosa does not usually feed on birds. Birds and other vertebrates can be difficult prey to capture. Although they are capable of catching and eating larger prey if given the opportunity. They usually eat more convenient food such as worms, insects and amphibians;
- refuge — another way to protect yourself from predators — it is to have effective shelters. During the day, these creatures retreat to the safety of their burrows. When it gets dark, they appear and hunt small prey.
Appearance and Features
Photo: What a Blonde Theraphosa Looks Like
Blonde Theraphosa — incredibly large kind of tarantula. Like all tarantulas, they have a large belly and a smaller cephalothorax. The warts of this spider are located at the end of the abdomen, and the fangs — in front of his cephalothorax. They have very large fangs, which can be up to 4 cm long. Each canine is supplied with poison, but it is mild and not dangerous to humans unless they are allergic.
Fun Fact: The coloration of the Theraphosa Blond mostly uses lighter shades of brown, giving the impression that they are golden at first, and sometimes black is present in some parts of their body. It all depends on the zone where they meet.
Like all tarantulas, the blond theraphosa has fangs large enough to bite through human skin (1.9-3.8 cm). They carry venom in their fangs and have been known to bite when threatened, but the venom is relatively harmless and its effect is comparable to that of a wasp sting. In addition, when threatened, they rub their belly with their hind legs and release hairs that are a strong irritant to the skin and mucous membranes. They have coloring hairs that can even be harmful to humans, and are considered by some to be the most harmful of all that tarantula hair burns. Blonde Theraphosa usually bites people only in self-defense, and these bites do not always lead to envenomation (the so-called “dry bite”).
Fun fact: The blond theraphosa has poor eyesight and relies mostly on vibrations in the ground, which it can sense from inside its burrow. skin and shed their old skin, just like snakes. The process by which molting occurs can also be used to regenerate lost limbs. If a blond's theraphosa loses a leg, it will increase the pressure of the fluid in its body to force itself out of the part of the carapace or hard shell covering the animal.
She then pumps fluid from her body into a limb to force the old skin to come off and creates new skin in the shape of the lost limb, which fills with fluid until it becomes a hard paw. The spider then regenerates the lost part of its shell. This process can take several hours, and the spider exists in a vulnerable state, its exposed parts textured like rubber, until it fully regenerates.
Where does the blonde teraphosa live?
Photo: Blonde Theraphosa Spider
Theraphosa blond comes from the northern part of South America. They have been found in Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana. Their main range is in the Amazon rainforest. This species does not occur naturally anywhere in the world, but they are kept and bred in captivity. Unlike some species of tarantula, these creatures live primarily in the tropical rainforests of South America. In particular, they live in montane rainforests. Some of their favorite habitats — swamps located in a dense forest. They dig holes in soft, moist soil and hide in them.
This species should be kept in a relatively large habitat, preferably in an aquarium of at least 75 liters. Since they rely on underground burrows to sleep, they must have a substrate deep enough that allows them to dig easily, such as peat moss or mulch. In addition to their minks, they like to have many hiding places throughout their habitat. They can be fed a variety of insects, but should be periodically supplied with large prey such as mice.
The terrarium must be adjusted so that the tarantula does not die from stress. They are very territorial, so it's best to keep them alone in their own terrarium if you have other tarantulas in your home. Most tarantula species have really poor eyesight, so terrarium lighting is not necessary. They like dark places, and since the decoration is up to you, you must provide them with enough space so that they can hide during the daytime (they are active at night and will sleep all day).
Now you know where it is found blonde therapy. Let's see what this spider eats.
What does the blonde teraphosa eat?
Photo: Blonde Theraphosa in Brazil
Theraphoses blondes mainly feed on worms and other types of insects. In the wild, however, their diet is a bit more varied, as they are among the largest predators of their species, and can outgrow many animal species. They will take advantage of this and will eat almost anything that is no bigger than them.
Earthworms make up the vast majority of this species' diet. They can feed on a variety of large insects, other worms, amphibians, and more. Some unusual prey they may consume include lizards, birds, rodents, large frogs, and snakes. They are omnivorous and will feed on something small enough to take over. Blonde Theraphosas are not very picky eaters, so you can feed them crickets, cockroaches, and the occasional mouse. They will eat almost anything that is not bigger than them.
Thus, the blond theraphosa does not usually eat birds. As with other tarantulas, their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates. However, due to its large size, it is not uncommon for this species to kill and consume a variety of vertebrates. In the wild, larger species have been seen feeding on rodents, frogs, lizards, bats, and even venomous snakes.
In captivity, the blond's main diet should consist of cockroaches. Adults and juveniles can be fed crickets or cockroaches that do not exceed their body length. Frequent feeding of mice is not recommended, as such food contains excess amounts of calcium, which can be harmful or even fatal to the tarantula.
Character and lifestyle features
Photo: Big blonde teraphosa
Theraphozoa blondes are nocturnal, which means they are most active at night. They spend the daylight hours safely in their burrow and come out at night to hunt prey. These creatures are solitary and only interact with each other to reproduce. Unlike many other arachnids, the females of this species do not try to kill and eat potential mates.
Blond theraphoses live a long time even in the wild. As usual for many species of tarantula, females are larger than males. They reach maturity during their first 3/6 years of life and are known to live around 15-25 years. However, males cannot live that long, their average lifespan is 3-6 years and sometimes they die quite soon after reaching maturity.
This tarantula is not friendly at all, don't expect two individuals of the same species to exist in the same cage without issue. They are very territorial and can become aggressive easily, so the best thing you can do is to have only one of them in one terrarium. They are the largest species of tarantula known to date, and they are also very fast and aggressive in nature, you would not want to deal with them if you do not have the appropriate experience, and even if you are familiar with tarantulas, it is not recommended to rush to get theraphosa blonde. They are able to make a certain sound when they feel danger, which can be heard even at a great distance.
Social Structure and Reproduction
Photo: Blonde Toxic Theraphose
Theraphos blond females begin to build a web after breeding and lay 50 to 200 eggs in it. The eggs are fertilized with sperm collected from the mating after they exit her body, rather than being fertilized internally. The female wraps the eggs in webs and carries an egg sack with her to protect them. The eggs will hatch into tiny spiders in 6-8 weeks. It can take 2-3 years before young spiders reach sexual maturity and breed.
Before mating is over, the females will eat a ton of food because they will only defend the egg sac after they have already produced one. They will spend most of their time protecting him after mating is complete and will become very aggressive if you try to get close to him. During the mating process, you may witness a “fight” between both spiders.
Fun fact: Although many female tarantulas of other species eat their partners during or after the process, blond teraphoses do not. The female poses no real danger to the male, and she will still survive after copulation is done. However, males die fairly soon after they reach maturity, so it's not uncommon for them to die right after mating is complete.
Theraphose blonde's natural enemies
Photo: What a blonde teraphosis looks like
Although it is not threatened in the wild, the blonde theraphosa has natural enemies such as:
- tarantula hawk;
- some snakes;
- others tarantulas.
Large lizards and snakes occasionally eat teraphos blond, though they must be picky about the individual spider they decide to pursue. Sometimes tarantulas can eat lizards or snakes — even very large ones. Hawks, eagles and owls also occasionally dine on blond theraphoses.
One of the main enemies of blond theraphosa is the tarantula hawk. This creature searches for the tarantula, finds its hole, and then lures the spider out. Then it penetrates inside and stings the spider in a vulnerable place, for example, in the leg joint. Once the tarantula is paralyzed from the wasp's venom, the tarantula hawk drags it to its lair, and sometimes even to its own hole. The wasp lays an egg on the spider and then closes the hole. When the wasp larva hatches, it eats the teraphosa blondu and then emerges from the burrow as a fully mature wasp.
Some flies lay their eggs on teraphosis blond. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into the spider, eating it from the inside. When they pupate and transform into flies, they tear open the tarantula's belly, killing it. Tiny ticks also feed on tarantulas, although they do not usually cause death. Spiders are most vulnerable during the molt when they are fragile and cannot move very well. Small insects can easily kill a tarantula during the molting process. The exoskeleton hardens again after a few days. Spider's most dangerous enemy — man and the destruction of his habitat.
These spiders do not harm humans in any way, in fact they are sometimes kept as pets. They do have mild venom in their bites and their irritating hairs can cause irritation if they are alarmed. Humans pose a much greater threat to teraphosis blond. In northeastern South America, locals hunt and eat these arachnids. They are prepared by burning the irritating hair and frying the spider in banana leaves, similar to how other types of tarantula are cooked. These spiders are also collected for the animal trade.
Population and species status
Photo: Blonde Theraphosa
Blonde Theraphosa has not yet been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population is considered to be fairly stable, but the species is constantly threatened for survival. Many blond theraphoses have been caught for the animal trade.
Catch a live Aggressive Theraphosa Blond — a difficult task, and many individuals of this species are killed when traders try to capture them. Also, traders tend to catch big spiders for more profit. This means that adult females, which live up to 25 years and lay thousands of eggs during their lifetime, are mostly captured when they grow larger than males.
Deforestation and habitat loss also pose a major threat to blond theraphoses. The locals also hunt the giant teraphosa blondu, as it has been part of the local cuisine since ancient times. Although the population is stable, biologists suspect that blond theraphosis may be endangered in the near future. However, conservation methods have not yet begun.
In many countries around the world, you can find the Theraphosa Blondou as pets. Although they are amazingly fascinating creatures and can attract anyone, having them as pets — not a very good choice. These creatures have venom, fangs the size of cheetah claws, and many other ways to protect themselves. They are wild and have them as pets — nothing more than getting yourself into trouble. They are very aggressive and keeping them in an aviary without some sort of expert guidance is strongly discouraged. They are beautiful in the wild and also an important part of the ecosystem.
Blonde Theraphosa is considered the second largest spider in the world (it is inferior to the giant hunter spider in leg span) and may be the largest in mass. It lives in burrows in the swampy regions of northern South America. Feeds on insects, rodents, bats, small birds, lizards, frogs and snakes. They are not good beginner pets due to their large size and nervous temperament.
