Hays' Tarantula Web Pages

R. Hays Cummins, Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University

Welcome! It is 7:12:46 PM on Friday, May 9, 2008. Archniphiles-Philes served: 607991 Last update: Tuesday, January 3, 2006.

Tarantula Page Navigation

Lab Species List	*Tarantula Diaries--Images & Commentary*	Essential Tarantula Articles
Spider Quicktime Movies	Important Tarantula Links	Web Site NAVIGATION--Table of Contents

Lab Species List

Genus & Species - (Common Name)	Lab "Nick Name"	Remarks
Aphonopelma
Aphonopelma chalcodes Chamberlin, 1940- (Mexican Blond)	Blondee
Aphonopelma seemanni (Zebra Leg-Costa Rica)	Drake
Avicularia
Avicularia avicularia complex (Linne, 1758)- (Guyana Pink Toe)	Mercury plus 10 juveniles
Avicularia magdaleana/aurantica- (Pink Toe, Wooly)	Fuzzy
Avicularia versicolor (Walckenaer, 1837)- (Pink Toes-Martinique and Guadeloupe Islands)	Rigel

Miscellaneous
Acanthoscurria geniculata -(Giant White Knee-Brazil)	BoJangles
Brachypelma boehmei Schmidt & Klaas- (Mexican Fireleg)	Betelguese
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Strand, 1907)- (GreenBottle Blue-Venezuela)	Grace
Cyclosternum sp. (Cobalt Red Rump)	Vega
Haplopelma lividum Smith, 1996 - (Cobalt Blue-SE Asia)	Cobalt
Lasiodora parahybana Mello-Leitao, 1917 (Salmon Pink Bird Eater-Brazil)	Pollux and Castor
Pamphobeteus vespertinum- (Columbian brown velvet-Columbia)
P. plumipes (Mahogony Tree Spider-)
Poecilotheria
Poecilotheria ornata (Fringed Ornamental-Sri Lanka/India ?)	Speedy
Poecilotheria regalis Pocock, 1899 (Indian Ornamental-India)	King

Psalmopoeus
Psalmopoeus cambridgei (Trinidad Chevron-)
Psalmopoeus pulcher (Panama Blond-Panama)
Psalmopoeus irmenia- (Suntiger-Venezuela)	Suntiger

Old World
Heteroscodra maculata- (Arboreal, Togo Starburst-Africa)	Starburst
Pterinochilus sp.- (Sunburst Baboon-"Usumbara" region of Africa)	Sunburst, Psycho2 & Jack	3 total

Tarantula Diaries--Images & Commentary

Check out this "Quicktime Slide Show" of a few of my favorite tarantula photographs!. Here is the same movie with music (Brahms' Hungarian Dance #1).

Windows and Mac Users--the free QuickTime 5 is required to view these movies

click here for a free copy

New Additions!!

(Taken with a Canon D30 or 10D digital camera with a 100mm macro-lens and ring flash or other canon lenses.)

04/05/04--Quicktime SLIDESHOW Popcorn and Pythons Students held "Vega" (Cyclosternum sp. (Costa Rican Red Rump)) and Drake during our spring semester Popcorn and Pythons at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami Univ. It was a blast!!
09/12/02--Quicktime SLIDESHOW Students held "Vega" (Cyclosternum sp. (Costa Rican Red Rump)) during our second Spider and Cider Night at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami Univ. Many students had never held a tarantula before. Take a look!
09/12/02--Quicktime SLIDESHOWThe Science Center (Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University) hosted our second "Spiders and Cider Festival." In addition to holding spiders, many of the students got to hold Thelma, our resident albino Burmese Python. And, yes, Thelma behaved herself!
02/06/02--Quicktime SLIDESHOWThe Science Center (Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University) hosted a "Spring Snake Festival." Students got to hold "Thelma," our resident Burmese Python. Thelma is about 8 feet long and, tonight, she was very well behaved!. It was a BLAST!
12/07/01--First-year students (Interdisciplinary Studies, Miami University) completed a study on tarantula growth in different temperature lab environments using two unique tarantula species. Stop by and take a look!
11/14/01--Quicktime SLIDESHOW Students held "Vega" (Cyclosternum sp. (Costa Rican Red Rump)) during a recent Spider and Cider Night in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami Univ. Many students had never held a tarantula before. It was terrific!
05/05/01--Beautiful unidentified jumping spider (SALTICIDAE (ARANEAE)). This guy was in my lab next to our aquarium. An amazing spider! I never realized they had so much color.
07/21/01--Some really cool shots of a jumping spider that had just captured a bee?. Now, I follow with a series of close-up photos of this spider and it's prey. These guys are amazing! Note the pollen-laden bee. An excellent picture from it's back. And, finally, a front-view perspective. Amazing photos. It's not easy taking these pictures!
07/21/01--While not a spider, I thought you might like a close-up of this fly obtaining nutrients on a flower. Really cool! Sometimes, I am just amazed by the uniqueness of these temperate ecosystems found near the floral crests. Besides spiders, I came across some "Aphid Ranchers." These ants are tending to their herd of aphids. Amazing! Such tender loving care!
07/21/01--An interesting shot of a successful capture of prey near the top of a floral stalk on the wooded trails of Miami University in Ohio.
5/05/01--A very young Brazilian Black (Grammostola pulchra). Here it is from the side. Found in grasslands of Brazil and Uruguay, has a reputation of being very gentle and long-lived.
05/05/01--A very striking Aphonopelma anax (Texas Tan) youngtser. Note the unusual design on the top of its abdomen. They are noted for their gentle nature and can be extremely long-lived.
07/19/01--A Texas Tan update. My how you've grown! What a beautiful spider!
05/05/01--Cyclosternum fasciatum (Costa Rican Tiger Rump). This beauty is about 2.5 inches long and recently molted. It is native to Costa Rica. A view from above of this striking spider!
05/06/01--Sometimes it happens. For the first time in my life, I found a very small spider eating an ant near the top of a cluster of flowers--an ant that is about as large as the spider! Ants are loaded with formic acid and aren't that palitable except for specialized eaters. Here is a side-view of this fearless creature. If you can ID it for me, please let me know! It may be a Crab Spider, Family Thomisidae, Misumenoides sp.

Mexican Fireleg- Brachypelma boehmei, Dry, Semi-desert Mexican Classic, Nick Name-"Betelguese"

01/06/01--I've had this spider since August,'00 (from Arachnocentric). It is somewhat skittish, but non-agressive and hasn't had much of an appetite. She is a hair-kicker. Today, she showed signs of getting ready to molt. Note her bald spot--two days ago it was beige, now it's turning black. It won't be long now. Here is close-up.
01/07/01--One day later, a little closer to "the change". How many more days before she molts?
On 01/20/01 Betelguese Molts! She's in a green cup with her molt on the right. Here is another perspective. What a beautiful spider!
05/05/01--She recently molted again. My oh my, what a beautiful and colorful spider! She is about 4 inches long. Here is a wider view

Mexican Blond- Aphonpelma chalcodes, Burrower, Dry Mexican and American Southwest, Nick Name-"Blondee"

Yes, here is a beautiful picture of "Blondee" on her daily walk around the cage. Nice~!
11/07/00- I received "Blondee" from Pet Center USA on 10/31/00. "Blondee" immediately started burrowing into the peat substrate, but she comes out every now and then to look around. She is about 4 cm in diameter, including the legs--she is quite beautiful. I am looking forward to watching this gentle spider grow! A real sweety-pie!

Zebra Leg- Aphonpelma seemanni, Burrower, Rainforest Central America, Nick Name-"Drake"--after Drake Bay Wilderness Camp, Costa Rica

11/21/00--Drake arrived today from Pet Center USA. A beautiful female, Drake is about 5" in diameter. She seems docile. Here is another view of her.
11/23/00--I fed Zebra a few crickets today. Here, Zebra gets a drink of water. A Close-up.

Pink Toe- Avicularia magdaleana/aurantica???, Arboreal, South America, Nick Name-"Wooly"

11/06/00- Wooly arrived last week from the fine folks at Pet Center. Wooly is about 4" in diameter. She is a fantastic spider. Well tempered and relatively friendly as is typical of the genus Avicularia. Wooly lives in a 2.5 gallon aquarium turned on its side. She is huge! Here is another perspective. Wooly has spun a web in one corner of the cage. She eats about 6 crickets a week.
11/07/00-Wooly built an impressive tube-shaped web in the corner of her cage. Note the green irridescent feet!

Pink Toe (Avicularia avicularia) on the March! Nick Name- "Mercury"

Our lab just received (10/5/00) a splendid "Pink Toe" Tarantula. Here are a few fine photographs!

A splendid close-up: Donna holds the spider with a burlap bag (just in case!)
A side -shot. I am impressed by it's unique coloration (blues, reds and blacks)
The spider wouldn't stay still. It moved from hand to bag and back to hand very rapidly. Here is a side-view on the burlap bag.
All I can say is WOW! A very beautiful spider!
1/1/01--A tragedy occurred today. Mercury died while molting. She was "stuck" getting out of her old skin. Bummer!

Giant White Knee- Acanthoscurria geniculata, Burrower/Terrestrial, Brazil Shrubland, Nick Name-"BoJangles"

11/06/00- I recieved our Giant White Knee tarantula "Bojangles" in August from the fine folks at Arachnocenteric. She promptly molted within a week of her arrival and now has a diameter of about 3.5 inches. I keep Bojangles in a divided 10 gallon aquarium with a mixture of peat and potting soil, a rock shelter, and some artificial plants. "Speedy," an Indian Ornate- Poecilotheria ornate, lives in the other half of the cage. Bojangles tends to "flick" at the slightest provocation, but she seems to be tolerating my presence more and more. She had been very shy and stayed out of sight except for her nighttime ventures. Recently, she has taken to staying outside of her shelter during the day! What a treat! She is an absolutely beautiful specimen. Her artficial rock-shelter is in the background. Here is a close-up of her striped legs! Dance, Bojangles, Dance!
11/07/00-Bojangles Head-on. Wow! I took these photographs at night through the aquarium class. Here she is facing the other way.
11/22/00--BoJangles molted the other day. What a beauty! Here she is getting a drink.
11/25/00--Today is my birthday. I treated myself to a view ot Bojangles from the front and the side. What a beautiful spider!

Suntiger-Psalmopoeus irmenia, Arboreal, Venezuela, Nick Name-"Suntiger"

11/08/00-Suntiger arrived in a shipment from Pet Center USA last week. Suntiger promptly molted immediately after her arrival (about 3cm in diameter). She needs something to eat, but, even so, "Suntiger" is very beautiful! It is quite leggy!
11/09/00-Suntiger's first feed! One other shot! A beauty!!
11/10/00-Suntiger stretched-out and relaxed after its first meal.
12/12/00--Suntiger's got the "premolt blues." She hasn't eaten in about 10 days, and her colors are very dull. It won't be long now!
01/20/01--Suntiger molts today. She's all "gangly" like a teenager! She's losing her "tiger stripes" as well.

Panama Blonde-Psalmopoeus pulcher, Arboreal, Venezuela, Nick Name-"Panama"

11/28/00-While it's not a good picture, this is one heck of a beautiful spider. So, I thought I'd show "Panama" off!
12/8/00--Panama Molts this evening! Here are some beautiful pictures of Panama as she hardens up! Wow!

Indian Ornamental- Poecilotheria regalis, Arboreal, India, Nick Name-"King"

I received "King" on 10/31/00 from Pet Center USA. King is about 5 cm long, including its legs. It has already eaten several crickets. Interestingly, this genus is the first I've seen that kills crickets, but doesn't eat all of them. King spends most of its day, resting just behind an artficial leaf. Here is a close-up of this beautiful animal. Finally, a close-up view of "King's" underside as he walks on the clear, cage surface. Note the Book Lung openings near the point where her abdomen connects to the cepholathorax.
11/28/00--I recently read an article by Luc Ross that talked about the happy coexistence and downright comaraderie of the Indian Ornamental Spiders. Well, I had to find out for myself! I bought a companion (from Pet Center USA) for "King." Both are the same size. Within 24 hours, they found each other. No kidding, they hang out together, many times touching one another! Amazing! See for your self! I wonder how long it will last! They behave like they are the best of friends.
12/5/00--Speedy molts! peace still reigns in the cage.

Fringed Ornamental- Poecilotheria ornata, Arboreal, India, Nick Name-"Speedy"

11/08/00-"Speedy" is about 5cm across. She built her hiding place beneath an old box turtle shell. She is extremely fast and beautiful. Here, she is leaning against the aquarium glass. She shares her tank with "BoJangles," our female Giant White Knee.
12/27/00--"Speedy" Molts. She is now about 7cm across. And, she is beautiful.
01/06/01--Speedy seems to have an unusual "6-set" of eyes!

Cobalt Blue- Haplopelma lividum, Burrower, SE Asia, Nick Name- "Cobalt"

11/04/00- I purchased "Cobalt" about 3 weeks ago from Arachnocenteric. Cobalt is about an 1.5 inches long. I placed him in a small "Pet Carry" with a 2 inch substrate of peat moss and potting soil. Cobalt immediately started constructing an elaborate burrow network with the main opening in a corner of the cage. I rarely get to see him except at night when he emerges from his burrow. Cobalt has not developed any dramatic coloration yet. A very interesting, secretive, extremely cautious spider.
11/18/00--Cobalt came out for a night walk! I hadn't seen Cobalt for about two weeks! But, tonight she came out. Still, there is no "Blue Color" yet. An amazing spider!
11/23/00--First Molt.

Columbian Brown Velvet- Pamphobeteus vespertinum, Terrestrial, South America, Nick Name- "Big Red"

11/09/00--We received "Big Red" (about 12cm across) from Pet Center USA last week. Big Red is a very interesting tarantula in color and behavior. He never has his legs stretched out, ever. Rather, he always seems "scrunched up." I assume this is normal. His demeanor seems peaceful. He is not fast at all--he approaches all movement in a methodical, deliberate manner. His exoskeleton seems a little beat-up but it could be that his appearence is normal wear and tear. He is really a very neat spider!

Togo Starburst - Heteroscodra maculata, Arboreal, Africa, Nick Name- "Starburst"

11/03/00-When I unpacked "Starburst," I knew I was in for a treat. Incredibly beautiful, large, greased lightning, and somewhat intimidating! Here are a few pictures (A, B, and C, )of "Starburst" resting in her cage. She's a big eater. I don't think I'll be holding her anytime soon! WOW!
11/07/00-Check out the well adapted foot pads of this impressive arboreal spider.

Sunburst Baboon- Pterinochilus sp. ("Usumbara" region of Africa), Nick Names- "Psycho""Psycho2" & "Jack"

11/03/00- Folks, a bad thing happened today and I feel very sad about it. Perhaps others can learn from my mistake. I had "Psycho, our newly aquired 4" sunburst baboon," in a 10 gallon aquarium separated (by a sheet of plexiglass) from "Pollux" (a 6" Salmon Pink Bird Eater, Lasiodora parahybana). There was a small space between the top of the plexiglass divider and the screen. I placed a large rock on top of the screen to prevent the possibility of "Psycho" crossing over into "Pollux's" space. Well, last night I opened the cage to feed "Psycho" some crickets. Who knows why, but I forgot to replace the rock on top of the cage. WHAT A BIG MISTAKE!!!
- Oh Shit! This morning, I found "Pollux eating Psycho." It didn't take long for "Psycho" to slowly dissapear. By afternoon, only a few legs and some abdominal contents remained
11/18/00--Psycho 2!! I got a replacement for Psycho, A sunburst baboon spiderling (3/4" long) from Pet Center USA. Eats like a horse!
11/21/00--"Jack" arrived today from Pet Center USA. Jack is a Mozambique golden sunburst baboon about 2" long. It immediately killed 4 small crickets, lined them up, webbed a retreat, then proceeded to eat them. An amazing spider with lots of spunk and personality.
- 01/03/01-- Looking from underneath, Jack has "blue slippers." I never would have thought! Here is another close-up view.
11/22/00--A "Top-down" view of Jack. This is a very fast, nervous and fascinating spider. I like their attitudes!
11/23/00--Another Pterinochilus sp, a freebie from Pet Center USA. About 3/4" long, with a fondness for crickets. Here it is eating another one! A beautiful spider.
03/22/01--Psycho2 molts again. This impressive spider is now about 3.5 inches in diameter!
03/28/01--Today I moved Psycho2 to a 10 gallon aquarium. I'm so glad I did. What an absolutely beautiful and fearless spider. She is so courageous! Today she is my favorite arcahnid.
- A sideview, She is ready for action! Here is another Sideview
- Another Perspective from the Rear. This is one beautful spider! Another Shot!
- A Head-on perspective! As Tom Petty would say "I won't back Down."
05/05/01--This guy just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Here is a recent head-shot! And, now from the side!

GreenBottle Blue Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, Nick Name- "Grace"

10/26/00- A spectacular juvenile. I used a Nikon 990 for these two closeups (A and B) of a 1.5 " specimen. Amazing stuff! These spiders live in the shrublands and dry forests of Venezuela. As an adult, the spider will have bright blue legs and a green carapace. It ate five 1/4" crickets the first day I got it.
12/5/00--Grace molted today. Spectacular colors! She has constructed a "tube web" underneath the artficial leaves of the container, so I haven't been able to take a picture yet. On 12/09/00, she came "outside" of her burrow. Wow! Here are a few pictures of Grace--what a specimen! Do you notice the "green color" of her upper legs? Here she is looking from above!
01/21/01--Grace Molts! She's beautiful. Not quite as much "blue" on her legs though. Here is another perspective of this beautiful spider!

Martinique Tree Spider: Avicularia versicolor, 10/20/00, Nick Name- "Bleu"

Check out our latest arachnid companion, Blue. It is about 2cm long (including its legs). It has already consumed two crickets in three days! What an absolutely beautiful specimen!

10/22/00-The spider ate this cricket, which is about as big as he is, later that evening.
10/22/00-Note the green hues, extremely long hairs, and the unique "tripod" tips of its legs.
11/23/00--First Molt, exoskelton on the right. Bleu beginning to harden up.
12/30/00--"Bleu" molted today. What a beauty! One problem though. One fang is about 3 times longer than the other one. While she be able to eat? We'll have to see. Anyways, she is beautiful!

Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeaters-Laisodora parahybana, Nick Names--Pollux and Castor

Click on image for a larger view!

A Tarantula Day-in-a-Life: Castor Molts (11/15/00)

Absolutely amazing stuff. Castor molts about 1 month behind Pollux. Here are a few wonderful pictures of the entire process.

Castor on his back showing her abdomen wrinkling and separating at the beginning of the molt. WOW! Here is another perspective and overview.
Castor's new fangs (white fangs on the right, old dark fangs on the left) begin to emerge as his exoskeleton slides off. Here is an amazing close-up.
WOW! A close-up of Castor's new soft fangs (at the bottom) and his legs curled set of legs emerging form his old exoskeleton. Here is a broader overview from stem to stern (head area on the right, exoskeleton on the left).
A stunning and beautiful photo of Castor (on the right) and his extruded molt (on the left). Closer even still! Note the claws on the tips of Castor's legs!
And closer even still! Note how the fangs have not hardened and there are still rough spots.
Here is a QUICKTIME movie of Castor molting. The movie contains 60 " one second frames"--there is a 30 second pause in filming between each frame. Castor starts out on his back, then extrudes his old molt. The clip represents 30 minutes of molting time.

A Tarantula Day-in-a-Life: Pollux Molts (10/11/00)

Pollux (Laisodora parahybana a Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater) at her most vulnerable Moment Amazing Stuff: Pollux Molts! It took about 4 hours for her to crawl out of her skin. Twelve hours later, she was still gathering her strength.

Pollux lies on her back awaiting "the Change." She is lying on a web she spun just before she began the molting process.
Here is a closer perspective. Note the huge Fangs! Imagine if you will how vulnerable these spiders are at this time of their lives.
Even Closer still. Note the fluid -like granules extruding from her skin.
Pollux still on her back AFTER she has molted. Her abdomen is the huge black structure. The molt is to her left.
A closer perspective of Pollux still on her back AFTER she has molted. The molt is to her left.
A good size-perspective. Pollux is right-side-up. Note her "Molting web," the molt and her water dish.
A good close-up perspective of Pollux and her MOLT. Pollux is right-side-up.
Another OUTSTANDING close-up perspective of Pollux and her MOLT. Pollux is right-side-up.
POST-MOLT:
Here is Pollux in all her splendor two days after her molt. Note how beautiful she is. She increased her diameter by about 2.5 cm. A poor picture (flash glare, etc.), BUT the point is that the spider is nearly as big as my hand! (I have BIG hands!)
- Another perspective of Pollux on an Ordovician Rock.
- And, a darker, but splendid, close-up. Note the long hairs. Quite an impressive spider.

A Tarantula Day-in-a-Life: Castor Molts Again (01/29/01)

Pollux molted again--three months later! Wow, what an amazing process. I found Pollux on its back at 8:30am. She was out of her exoskeleton by a little after 2:00pm. I made two QUICKTIME SLIDE SHOWS to illustrate the process, one SMALL~1.6mb and the other LARGE~6mb. Enjoy!

Defensive and Resting Postures of a Brazilian Salmon Lasiodora parabyhana 9/15/00

Here are a few photos of one of my Brazilian Pinks. AMAZING!

11/16/00-Pollux about three weeks after its molt. A stupendous spider!
Resting on the bottom of the cage. Note the extreme "hairiness" of this spider. She was getting ready to "flick hairs" at me.
The Crane: A Common Defensive Posture.
A Crane Stance CLOSEUP: A Common Defensive Posture.
Meet Castor Head-On!!

Young Arboreal Spiderlings Arrive--9/15/00

Today, 12 Pink Toe (Avicularia avicularia) spiderlings arrived from Arachnocentric. One was DOA on arrival but the other 11 were in excellent shape. These spiders are going to be part of a Natural Systems Research Project on Spider behavior and growth. Some initial pictures:

Randy and Eric eagerly anticpate opening the package
They open the box and unpack it
Amazingly, two plastic vials contained a total of 11 living Peruvian Pink Toe Spiderlings
Randy and Eric prepare the spider's tupperware homes. They poked holes through the sides and tops of each plastic cup.
Eventually, each spiderling had it's own home with a lump of moist peat included as a bonus
Finally, a closeup of one of the spiderlings All of them are less than 1cm long even when stretched out!
And a Hairy Closeup!
01/03/01--Here is what a typical spiderling looks like after a recent molt. Wow! very beautiful. There toes are also beginning to show signs of becoming "pink."

Their First Cricket Feed!

On 9/20/00, the baby spiders ate their FIRST Crickets! Heck, the cricket is almost as large as the spider!
Here (9/20/00) is the Tarantula Group preparing the cricket breeding cage and placing juvenile rickets in each spider's container.

Holding the Cobalt Red Rump (Cyclosternum sp)--9/22/00

Donna led the way. Without her encouragement, I don't know if we would have ever held the Cobalt Red Rump!
Randy Lets the Cobalt Red Rump walk up her chest!
Randy begins to get a little nervous
Langston Gets ready to Take the Leap. Way to Go!
The Cobalt Red Rump Walks up Langston's Arm
The Group provided a safety net in case the spider fell!
The Group poses with the spider-- Donna, Sean, Randy, and Langston.
A happy Seanholds the Cobalt Red Rump. Randy and Langston look on.
A close-up in Hays' hands. Hays hopes the spider was as happy as he was!
A beautiful Cobalt Red Rump close-up in Donna's hand.

Tarantula Feeding Frenzy--(Laisodora parahybana two Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeaters)!

I thought you might like to see the tarantulas eating again. This quicktime movie is big, about 17 mb. But, if you have the quicktime plugin in your browser plug-in folder, and if you have enough memory, the movie should play just fine. Windows users can download Quicktime from Apple

Essential Tarantula Articles

I included three PDF articles from the British Tarantula Society. One focuses on "The Natural History of Tarantula Spiders" while the other is a brief introduction to Tarantula care. The third article deals with tarantula substrate preferences Take a look!

Raising Crickets & Mealworms So, now that you've got those spiders, you've got to feed those spiders! Here are a few PDFs

Sexing Tarantulas

Sexing tarantulas is a BIG DEAL. Males usually don't live nearly as long as females, and, at the end of their lives, they kind of go into a mating frenzy! So, I found two excellent articles on sexing tarantulas. Take a look! From West Coast Zoological

The Proper Technique for Sexing Living Theraphosid Spiders-Part 1

The Proper Technique for Sexing Living Theraphosid Spiders (Part II)

Spider Quicktime Movies

QuickTime 5 is required to view these movies

click here for a free copy

Windows users can download Quicktime from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

11/14/01--Quicktime SLIDESHOW Students held "Vega" (Cyclosternum sp. (Costa Rican Red Rump)) during a recent Spider and Cider Night in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami Univ. Many students had never held a tarantula before. It was terrific!
Quicktime Movies!! NEW!! My Chilean Rose (Grammostola rosea) tarantula recently molted. It took her about four hours to complete the process. I have a large Quicktime Movie (~6.6mb) and a smaller Quicktime Movie (~1.5mb) for your viewing pleasure. Note how she pushes her old skin away. She really had a "rose" color after her molt!
Quicktime Movies!! We found a very large tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas (O.P. Cambridge, 1892), female) near the entrance to Monteverde Preserve, Costa Rica on a night hike. We lured it out of it's burrow with a stick. We were not disappointed! From my Tropical Ecosystems of Costa Rica Course, 2001.
Pollux molts again (01/29/01)--three months later! Wow, what an amazing process. I found Pollux on its back at 8:30am. She was out of her exoskeleton by a little after 2:00pm. I made two QUICKTIME SLIDE SHOWS to illustrate the process, oneSMALL~1.6mb and the other LARGE~6mb. Enjoy!
This huge tarantula was found in the bathroom of the one of the accommodations along the SE Caribbean coast. Wow!! Note the spiders defensive position (TREC 99)
While not found in Costa Rica, my lab has two pet Brazilian Bird eating tarantulas ( Lasiodora parahybana). Pollux (from the constellation Gemini) is the one shown in this quicktime movie. It is about 10 cm in diameter now. Later, Pollux and Castor feast on about 18 crickets each. Note how Pollux wraps-up her recently killed crickets with silk. She then picks up the package and sips the potpourri down! On 9/2/00, the spiders had another "Mass Feeding." This 17 mb QUICKTIME Movie shows all of the details--web spinning, fang action, etc.
This large female spider catches a termite for a late afternoon meal. (TREC 99)
This Nephila sp. orb weaver rebuilds her web after a night of heavy rains at Almonds & Corals in SE Costa Rica. (TREC 99)
Quicktime Movies!! A wonderful potpourri of animal life from Jean Lafitte National Park, 9/99. See a frog eating spider (Nephila sp.) Here is a Quicktime STREAMING Video for slower connections!
Sociality is quite common and highly developed among arthropods such as bees, termites and ants. In spiders, social communities and cooperation are quite rare. But,....Here are two movies of Social Spider communities. There were hundreds of individuals that were working on a somewhat disorganized web in SE Costa Rica! Here is a Quicktime STREAMING video for slower connections! (TREC 99)
- The Orb Weaver and Social Spider Movie Combined Together. Very large! (TREC 99)
A very small, but brave Salticid (sp.) Spider, pauses and charges the camera at Palo Verde National Park. AMAZING! (TREC 00)
A large funnel web charges me after having put up with me for a little too long on our night hike. What a beauty! (Monteverde Preserve, TREC 00)
11/15/00-Here is a QUICKTIME movie of Castor (Lasiodora parahybana) molting. The clip contains 60 " one second frames." There is a 30 second pause in filming between frames.
Check out this "Quicktime Slide Show" of a few of my favorite tarantula photographs!. Here is the same movie with music (Brahms' Hungarian Dance #1).

Important Tarantula Links

Societies and Organizations

The Amercian Tarantula Society The largest Arachnid Society of the World.
South & West Tarantula Society
Spider Club of Southern Africa
The British Tarantula Society

Collectors and Hobbyists

The Arachnological Hub of the World Wide Web
An interesting, new tarantula site. Worth a visit! Web Ghost's Tarantulas
Trav's Tarantula Page This 10 year old has put together an informative web page on tarantulas.
Phong's Tarantula WWW Pages I love this site. Amazing descriptions, details and pictures of over 50 tarantulas.
- Phongs Tarantula Links
DiddyBo's Tarantula pages
Treetop Tarantulas Luc Ross has developed a one of a kind page devoted to arboreal tarantulas. Lot's of great stuff here!
Will's Tarantula Pages A very nice site with fine photos and sexing information.
Darla Kay's Extensive List of Spider Links
Petbugs.com's Home page An amazing collection of info from resources to discussion forums.
- PetBugs.com tarantula caresheets
GIANT spiders.com Although focusing mainly on tarantulas, this site also offers an insight into the araneomorphs or 'true spiders' such as the wandering, huntsman, orb-web and wolf spiders.
- Select Articles on tarantulas and other spiders
The Tarantula Burrow A Tarantula Mega-Site. Includes a searchable database, photos, taxonomy and species specific care sheets!
Rick West's Tarantula Photo Gallery with the correct taxonomy of each featured spider.
Troll Quality Tarantulas
- MORE INFORMATION THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK INSECT AT!
- TQT Peoples Critter Gallery Images of a wide variety of Tarantulas
Minax Tarantulas A full-featured site devoted to tarantulas. Lots of essential information, care descriptions, and species specific information. A Must visit!
Tarantulas of the World Foto Gallery Excellent Tarantula Site! A Must Visit.
Jumping spiders of America North of Mexico I love these spiders--amazing grace, stealth and beauty.
The Hobo Spider--A site dedicated to "biting arachnids" and their effects on humans.
6Legs and Spider Silk A spider site from France
Nick's Spiders of Britain and Europe
Jordan's Arachnid Page
- A Guide to Keeping New World Arboreal Tarantulas
Dan the Man's Tarantula Page
- Individual Species with caresheets
The Tarantula Store
The tarantula Refuge Lot of care sheets! Some nice pics and a species list.

Dealers & Suppliers: Spiders, Herps, etc.

Pet Center USA An amazing resource, friendly people, and source of spiders at reasonable prices. Say hello to Paul, the "Spider Meister."
- Pet Center Links
- Pet Center Price List
Arachnocentric: "#1 in Fine Arachnids"
Glades Herp Inc.: Suppliers of fine quality reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates to the collectors, breeders, zoos and educators of the world.
West Coast ZOO.com
Swifts Invertebrates
Golden Phoenix Exotica An interesting business-- site has a new overhaul of their tarantula section with pictures of some beauties!
The Spider Patch Captive Bred Tarantulas
Realm of Inverts
Terrence's Tarantulas
Frights Invertebrates
LLL Reptile Lots of herps but a few spiders too!
Pet Stop Arachnids

Snakes

11/21/00--Check out our new 7 foot Albino Burmese Python. Adam, a Western Collge Senior , donated the snake to our Science Center. Hays held it as well!
11/21/00--Late Night Feed: Joseph picked up to Huge Rats to feed the python. She seemed to know something was up.
- She quickly wrapped three coils around the rat.
- A few minutes later, she relaxed and moved back towards the rats head.
- Bingo--I found it!
- QUICKTIME Movie: Our Burmese Python was moved to a much larger and spacious cage (05/04/01). The cage was designed and built by Julia Rothermel Peer Science students under the supervision of Donna McCollum.

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