What's my source for these photos? You should know by now. These two Goliath Birdeaters (theraphosa blondi) belong to Jade Walker. Just to give you some perspective, the hand you see in the photo between this about-to-mate pair (not a place I would like to set my hand) belongs to one of Jade's buddy's, and he's over six feet tall. That makes for big hands, which in turn makes for big spiders.
The darker, stockier one on the left is the female. The male has a legspan of 12 inches, and weighed in at over half a pound. That's a lot of spider meat. These beasts are agressive, and have the most severe urticating hairs of any species (Jade inhaled some once and can personally attest to that!).
Thanks for the photos, Jade. You are a credit to invert breeders the world over.
Yay! There's my lovely Gion. She's my favorite tarantula, and the one I've had the longest out of my whole collection. Oddly, she's never laid a sac for me.
ReplyDeleteFor those wondering, she gets bred on the floor, as opposed to in her cage. I don't have any cages large enough for two of these spiders at the same time!! :)
Seeing Gion on here really made up for a crappy day. I wrecked my motorcycle on the way to work and the other driver left the scene before I could get his plate. I'm okay, save for a few deep bruises, and my bike still drives (just some cosmetic damage). Either way, this made me smile. Thanks!!
Nice blondis, Jade!
ReplyDeleteThat SUCKS about your bike ... Glad to hear you're OK though ... Hope you have good luck with your spiders mating to make up for it. ;)
Wow Jade, how do you pick those up? They look way too big for the jar and slip of paper method. Also, sorry about your hit and run! Feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteLong-time visitor, occasional commenter...but I just wanted to say I'm so sorry to hear about your wreck, Jade! I hope you and your bike are back to 100% soon!
ReplyDeleteAs for your beauties, they're some of the sleekest, healthiest arachnids I've seen! How well do they fare around asthmatics, do you know...? (I need to find an asthma-friendly pet substitute for my three cats...*sob*)
--TwoDragons
swintah- I use the cup and paper method, but on a larger scale. I use a critter keeper, and a piece of plexiglass.
ReplyDeletedenita twodragons- If you want a good one that's not agressive, go with a pinktoe (Avicularia avicularia) or a Chaco Golden Knee (Grammostola aureostriata). Both of those are great for beginners, and shouldn't give you any breathing problems.
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. My bike seems to be okay, with just some deep scratches in the paint, but it runs fine. I'm still pretty bruised up, but I'll recover! :)
Hey, Jade, I'm glad you're doing better. Be safe out there, ya hear!
ReplyDeleteHah - giant cup and paper! That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteI know this was a while ago, but I do know that Gion is not in Arachnid Heaven. I'm sorry it happened to her, apparently too soon as well.
ReplyDeleteI must ask though, why not just pick them up with your hands? I can understand if there's a risk of biting but if you handle them frequesntly wouldnt they know not to bite? Just curious, since I'm an amatuer arachniphiliac. ;D