Australian tarantula

Australian tarantulas are one of Australia's largest spiders and can reach a legspan of 220mm. They are common throughout north east Australia in eucalyptus forests to wet scrubland but are concentrated to mountains. Australian tarantulas feed on a wide variety of invertebrates and even small vertebrates. They construct deep burrows into embankments, often under rocks or logs. Different localities do have different burrow tendencies. The holes are usually constructed beneath rocks or logs to support the burrow from water and the soil caving in. Australian tarantulas use silk in addition to waterproofing their holes.

Australian tarantulas are pretty slow but can climb smooth surfaces such as glass and plastic with scopula pads on their feet. They also use tarsal claws to cling onto plants and logs. Australian tarantulas are covered in fin sensory hairs (setae) to detect prey from the tiny air currents and vibrations they create.

This species lays eggs within an egg sac. They hold the egg sac with their fangs for around 30 days. They open the sac to release the slings. Sometimes in captivity, the mother tarantula can eat the egg sac, but Coremiocnemis do this the least. The spiderlings cluster around the mother for up to a month or so after they appear and do not eat each other at this stage. Once they leave, if the slings find each other, this usually results in cannibalism.

Like all other invertebrates, tarantulas moult their exoskeleton periodically to grow larger. To moult, the tarantula closes up the burrow for around a week. The moulting process can take between 10 and 60 minutes; smaller tarantulas take less time to moult. It's easy to distinguish males from females once the tarantula matures as the males have large and swollen pedipalps and are less robust with long slender legs.