Red+Knee+Tarantula

﻿Red Knee Tarantula - //Brachypelma smithi// __﻿Phyla: __﻿ ﻿Arthropoda __﻿Class: __ Arachnida

__Location: __ They are found in Mexico, South-western U.S., and Panama.

__Size: __ They grow from 4 to 7 inches.

__Habitat: __ The Red Knee Tarantula tends to live in complex scrub-forest habitat, and semi-desert regions where there is an abundance of food.

__Living Requirements: __ It needs to live where they can find plenty of food, and places to burrow in.  __Life Cycle: __Females lay a bunch of eggs at a time, and guard them for several weeks. The eggs hatch within one to two and a half months. Males reach sexual maturity faster than females so there isn't as much inbreeding. Females tend to live for 25 years or so, but the males only live till about 10 years.

__<span style="color: #df2020; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Male and Female Differences: __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;"> Females lay the eggs. Males live much shorter lives.

__<span style="color: #df2020; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Interesting Facts: __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Even though these tarantulas have fangs they hardly ever bite. They are very venomous. Its primary means of defense are the hairs that grow on its abdomen, which it can shake free kind of like porcupines do.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Zookeeper: Erin Holbert <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Content, Video, and Images References: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Video: [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Images: [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Content: []