A few random spider (8 legged spider not ball python spider) shots

[jmugleston]

To someone who knows nothing about tarantulas, the two in the photo together look absolutely nothing alike, and I too though they were different species being put nearby. I was curious also.
I don't think it was a dumb comment at all. Perhaps taking out the "wasn't a smart idea" part would have sounded much less inflammatory, but other than that, I don't think it was dumb.

The first portion to the post was fine. Seeing seemingly different spiders near each other would cause many without experience to question the photographer's/keeper's intentions. The dimorphism in some species is such that you can mistake them for different species. Male and female king baboons (Pelinobius muticus) were originally thought by biologists to be different species. The adult female are 7+ inches, bulky, and look like the texture of velvet. The males are ~4", skinny, and fuzzy.

I do think the latter part of the post was inappropriate and indicative of Neal needing to do a bit more research previous to making posts questioning the intelligence of another keeper's actions.

My goodness! I had no idea. I'm starting to hate you--your photos are making me research tarantulas like crazy, and I'm not getting the shivers anymore, either.
j/k about the hating part, but, wow! So he is of the same species as her? That's unbelievable--he's differently colored, he's smaller, doesn't look like her at all
Is this a species where the female will eat the male after breeding, or does the male have those little sleeves above his mouth to hold her teeth in so she doesn't eat him until they are done mating?
What do they do whilst "courting"?
Fascinating, tarantulas are, and to think I might have missed out on learning about them because of my stupid fear.

We rarely loose a male to a female when we pair them. I know of one species where post coital cannibalism seems to be common place but most have other things to attend to. The idea that they always eat the males probably stems from keepers with too small of cages (nowhere for the males to run) and a condition of the keepers' methods. If the males have somewhere to run they typically get done and boogie. If not, they are typically treated as any other thing walking near a female spider's burrow or hide. Also if keepers pull the male out afterward he can survive and mate with other girls. If they leave him in there, he will become food with few exceptions. The species pictured above doesn't have the hooks to hold her fangs (even with those an angry female won't be held back), but he was in little danger. They have a pretty routine process they go through with mating and once that starts little can persuade them to stop. Once they're done he pushes her back and books it up the wall. If you're careful, patient, and attentive, males can live or quite a while and breed with multiple females during their short lives.