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Red Knee Tarantula
Red Knee Tarantula Facts
| Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things | Animalia |
| Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom | Arthropoda |
| Class: A group of animals within a pylum | Arachnida |
| Order: A group of animals within a class | Araneae |
| Family: A group of animals within an order | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: A group of animals within a family | Brachypelma |
| Scientific Name: The name of the animal in science | Brachypelma Smithi |
| Type: The animal group that the species belongs to | Arthropoda |
| Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats | Carnivore |
| Size: How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is | 10-18cm (4-7in) |
| Weight: The measurement of how heavy the animal is | 15-16g (0.5-0.6oz) |
| Top Speed: The fastest recorded speed of the animal | 29km/h (18mph) |
| Lifespan: How long the animal lives for | 20-30 years |
| Lifestyle: Whether the animal is solitary or sociable | Solitary |
| Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct | Threatened |
| Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings | Red, Black, Brown, White |
| Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal | Hair |
| Favourite Food: The preferred food of this animal | Insects |
| Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives | Semi-desert and scrub land |
| Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once | 40 |
| Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from | Insects, Small mammals and reptiles |
| Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal | Birds, Reptiles, Mammals |
| Special Features: Characteristics unique to this animal | Hairy body and stripes on legs |
Red Knee Tarantula Location
Map of South America
Red Knee Tarantula
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 its hairy body and the red bands that are along its 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 its 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 its 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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First Published: 21st December 2009, Last Updated: 7th November 2019
1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 21 Dec 2009]
2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 21 Dec 2009]
4. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 21 Dec 2009]
5. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 21 Dec 2009]
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