Skeleton tarantula
The skeleton tarantula is a big hairy spider with black legs. Its legs have pale stripes that look like the bones of a skeleton. It lives on the floor of the rainforest in a cosy burrow lined with silk.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
With its legs stretched out, it is about as wide as a grown-up's hand, 11 to 12 centimetres.
Most of its close cousins live up in trees, but this one stays on the ground.
It defends itself with itchy hairs. Most tarantulas keep them on their bottom, but this one has them near its mouth.
Most asked questions about Skeleton tarantula
?Why is it called skeleton tarantula?
Because the stripes on its black legs look like the bones of a skeleton.
?How big is a skeleton tarantula?
Its legs reach about 11 to 12 centimetres across, and big females up to 15 centimetres.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Ephebopus murinus
- Named by
- Walckenaer, 1837
- Group
- Spiders
- Family
- Theraphosidae
- Classification
- Arachnida > Araneae > Theraphosidae
- Lives on
- South America
Where the facts come from
- Skeleton tarantula (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 Psychonaught at English Wikipedia. CC0, 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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