For all you T-gurus...

Hehe...never thought I'd be starting a new thread in this forum!

This little thing was parked on our living room window tonight. (On the outside, thankfully!!) I can appreciate them in their natural habitat....the inside of my living room is not their natural habitat! :P Anyhow...couldn't resist submitting myself to a huge case of the willies and snapping a bunch of pics.

Can any of you Tarantula experts tell me what kind it is? Its body is probably about 2" from end to end, or just under that. (Found in Tucson, AZ)

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2/spider-2.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2/spider-1.jpg

(And it takes getting up close with those windows to appreciate just how dirty they are...guess who's washing windows first thing tomorrow morning? LOL)

i don't know what it is, but with you permission... i'll ask on another forum!

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i don't know what it is, but with you permission... i'll ask on another forum!

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Go right ahead. :)

I want to guess aphonopelma chalcodes - desert blonde tarantula.

That's so cool that you have wild Ts where you live!!!! I'd be goin' out and catchin em'!!!!

I would guess aphonopelma too, from your location. Probably desert blonde, like Shelby said. A juvenile too, if it is only 2". If it was me, I would have kept it.

sorry... i didn't get back to this thread... i've posted the question and await their decision on what they think it is :) i'll let you know :pinkele:

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Originally Posted by Shelby

I want to guess aphonopelma chalcodes - desert blonde tarantula.

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your very right The arizona Blonde or Mexican Blonde... I had the chance of breeding them and getting to know all the ones I cared for. They are very neet and awesome spiders, very docile as well (sp)

The one you have there looks like a male due to the lack of bright orange hairs on the rump. He is a little thin and if your saying around 2 inches then deff. a male... females avarage around 4 inchs and have have beautiful red or orange hairs on there rump... watch out though... the little velvit hairs under the long hairs hurt and itch if you het them on your skin.

Hope that helps you :D

I Miss Sonoita AZ... *crys very loudly*

Thanks!!!


I have heard about T's using their rump hair as a defensive weapon. LOL .....I don't plan on getting close enough to ever experience that! But it was awesome to see one "in the wild"...as wild as my living room window will ever get, anyhow. :carouse: I'll keep an eye out for more around here! Would love to spot a female!

okay... so i've asked some people who know a lot about Ts.

and here's their answer!

they agree about the type of T but disagree about it being a confirmed male. :buttercup

It can like they said, be some what hard to sex with out actualy seeing it ... but from all the ones I have had and bread... it looks like a very thin male. along with the small size.

Another thing the people dont understand is that The Arizona/Mexican Blonde is almost a mutation from the tipical Desert Blonde. I was a volinteer at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and found out that little tip.

This is there breeding seasion. in the Monsoon, they cross the roads to there breeding grounds. Go to Sonoita JLC, it is about 49 miles away from you ... on the cross roads of HW 82 and 83. when the monsoon really hits go there and watch out for them... it is a site to see ... hundreds of them all over the roads trying to cross.

oh that would be a beautiful sight to see!!!!!

It really is. I miss watching them cross and having to rescue some from getting hit by passing cars.


they are so sweet natured, not even putting up a fight when you pick them up to help them cross.

Some are still to young to breed and you will find them in your yards at night hunting mice or large bugs... The move so fast when they strike.

:sigh2: I want another T.

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Originally Posted by jessie_k_pythons

This is there breeding seasion. in the Monsoon, they cross the roads to there breeding grounds. Go to Sonoita JLC, it is about 49 miles away from you ... on the cross roads of HW 82 and 83. when the monsoon really hits go there and watch out for them... it is a site to see ... hundreds of them all over the roads trying to cross.

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LOL....thank you for the....interesting...suggestion. ;) However, that's a sight I won't mind missing. If I have to encounter a Tarantula, I'd much rather it be one-on-one....or if in numbers, then all of them safely behind the lids of their little plastic bowls.

LOL I fully understand... Spiders give me the willies to the point of crying. Ts I love but other spiders .... EWWWWWW!!!

That what i get for playing the a Brown Racluse as a child... :no:

you definitely need another T. you do. really!!! honest... you do!

what would you get if you were going to get another?

:wuv:

Well I really love the Arizona Blondes I was never bitten by one ... I baby sat a rose hair and it always bit me. so I think when I go back to AZ in 2 months I might bring back one of my sub adult blondes. My mom has 2 of mine with her.
I didnt think I could get attached (sp?) to something I had always hated.
But now i love them... its the little spiders that give me the hebee geebees.

get a GBB... come on... you know you'd love one!

That is a lovely blonde. I finally have one now. I just got it about a week and a half ago. It is so tiny I almost can't see it, but at least I have one now.

I use to find those things everywhere in the Anthem/New River area. I never picked them up with my hands cause I didn't know if they were poisonous enough to damage...I could go catch one right now.:D

Ohhhh, I could never bring myself to pick up a wild T! ONCE at a herp show, I had a guy put one on my hand that he was sure was "tame" and calm.....so I can say I've had the experience of feeling one walk around on my hand...but I can't imagine ever actually picking one up! ~shudder~

Here's another one that was hanging around our front porch for about a week...I actually miss it and wish it'd come back!
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...iig-spider.jpg

Aphonopelma are usually quite calm, and easily handled. We have a pretty good sized population of A. iodius around my place. A member of the Utah Herp Assoc. loves inverts, and spends a fair amount of time out in the field looking for blondes. There are a few places that he has found many many occupied burrows within 5 or 10 of each other. The females in that population seem to feed mainly on rodents, as there are lots of remains outside the burrow entrance, look (you can see the burrow entrance right behind the remains). Here's a short vid of a little meeting between two blondes that he took too. Check out the rest of his album for tons more pics of Utah stuff.

Judy, if you want to find a female, you'll have to go look for burrows. Males are the only ones that will come to you https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...es/biggrin.gif .

Thanks for sharing those pics!!

-Evan

Cool video, Evan!


I do believe we have a number of T burrows around our property...but I've never gone actively looking for them. I just take note of the ones that come out in the open around the house. I never thought to look for rodent remains....this all makes me want to go for a little walk-about... LOL

If you find a burrow that is webbed in, it is likely occupied. Just take a pair of feeding tongs (12-18"), and see if you can gently tease her out. Have fun :D.

-Evan