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Red Knee Tarantula

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The red knee tarantula (also known as the red-kneed tarantula) is a type of burrowing tarantula that inhabits the pacific mountains of Mexico. The red knee tarantula is most well known for it's hairy body and the red bands that are along it's legs.

The red knee tarantula inhabits the complex scrub-forest habitat and semi-desert regions where there is an abundance of food. The red knee tarantula needs to burrow and so is rarely found on rock faces.

The Red Knee tarantula is found in Mexico, south-western United States and Panama. They are quite common now to be kept as pets as they are slow growers and they have a beautiful body in colour and shape. The red knee tarantula also has a bite that could hurt a human but would not be harmful.

The red knee tarantula typically grows to around 20cm in length but some red knee tarantula individuals have known to become much bigger. The red knee tarantula has a relatively long lifespan for a spider as many get to be older than 30 years of age.

The female red knee tarantula is often bigger than the male red knee tarantula and the female red knee tarantula also tends to be more aggressive. Female red knee tarantulas tend to live longer than the smaller male red knee tarantula due to the fact that they have a more fierce temperament.

The red knee tarantula is a carnivorous animal and preys on a number of other animals in it's natural environment. The red knee tarantula mainly eats insects along with small mammals, birds and reptiles that fall into the burrow where the red knee tarantula is hiding.

Due to the relatively small size of the red knee tarantula, the red knee tarantula has many predators across Central America. Birds, large reptiles and various mammal species all prey on the red knee tarantula, often waiting until the red knee tarantula comes out of it's burrow before attacking it.

The female red knee tarantula lays an average of 40 eggs which are laid in a silk sack generally between the months of May and August. The red knee tarantula babies hatch out of their eggs in about a month and it takes the red knee tarantula babies nearly a year to reach adulthood.

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Red Knee Tarantula Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Arthropoda
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Arachnida
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Araneae
Family: A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....	Theraphosidae
Genus: A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....	Brachypelma

Scientific Name:	Brachypelma Smithi
Type:	Arthropoda
Diet:	Carnivore
Size:	10-18cm (4-7in)
Weight:	15-16g (0.5-0.6oz)
Top Speed:	29km/h (18mph)
Life Span:	20-30 years
Lifestyle:	Solitary
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Threatened

Colour:	Red, Black, Brown, White
Skin Type:	Hair
Favourite Food:	Insects
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Semi-desert and scrub land
Average Litter Size:	40
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Insects, Small mammals and reptiles
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Birds, Reptiles, Mammals
Special Features:	Hairy body and stripes on legs