Mexican redleg tarantula
The Mexican redleg tarantula is a big, hairy spider with a dark body and pink, red or orange patches on its legs. On its back it has a light shield with a black triangle at the front. It is calm and gentle, and it grows very slowly.
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Fun facts
A girl can live for decades, longer than many pet dogs and cats.
With its legs spread out, a grown-up female is about 12.5 centimetres across.
After it changes its skin, its colours look even brighter.
It is a popular pet because it is calm and colourful.
In Mexico it is threatened, so trade in it is controlled.
Most asked questions about Mexican redleg tarantula
?How long does a Mexican redleg tarantula live?
Females can live for decades.
?How big is a Mexican redleg tarantula?
A grown-up female has a body about 6.5 centimetres long and a leg span of about 12.5 centimetres.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Brachypelma emilia
- Named by
- White, 1856
- Group
- Spiders
- Family
- Theraphosidae
- Classification
- Arachnida > Araneae > Theraphosidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Red-legged tarantula
Where the facts come from
- Brachypelma emilia (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by John. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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