Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula or Caribena Versicolor is one of the enormous spider species living on the planet. They hit sizes that impress some people and startle others. They exist on a different scale from any of the spiders you come across, causing one to wonder how odd it can be to endear spiders.
Here are a few cool things you do not know about these popular but also misunderstood arachnids-
1. This Stunning Bird Spider Has Many Names and Is Placid
Caribena Versicolor has many names like Martinique red tree spider or Martinique pinktoe tarantula, Antilles pink toe tarantula, and so on. They are very calm and bite rarely. The bites are not poisonous and aren’t any worse than a plain bee’s sting. The tarantula’s body hair may be irritating, which can cause any local itching and redness. So, handle them with care and use the necessary precautions.
2. Science Knows Almost 1000 Species
True tarantulas are part of a giant spider family called Theraphosidae. In 147 genera, there are 987 species, most of which occupy the tropics, subtropics, or deserts. The highest number of tarantula species is located in South America, but these spiders are in large numbers and more common than many people assume, inhabiting almost every region except Antarctica.
3. Some Spiky Bristles Thrown Like Weapons
A specific form of mushroom, known as stinging hair, serves as a defence weapon for several species, including these tarantulas. Not only can these bristles stick to a predator as it comes into touch with a tarantula, but the spider can even deliberately pass them to miscreants with its legs. The hairs are barbed and can lodge in the recipient’s eyes and mucous membranes, triggering discomfort and inflammation.
4. They Are ‘Hairy’, But That’s Not the Hair
The appearance of bristly hairs on the body and legs is among the many distinctive characteristics of tarantulas. Although theselook like hair and are widely described as such, as mammals do, spiders and other arthropods do not have actual hair. Mammalian hair is mainly keratin, while arthropod mushrooms contain mostly chitin. Around 90% of New World Tarantula Spiders have stinging hair, sometimes with different types that seem to have developed to protect against various predators.
5. They Pose Very Little Danger to People
Caribena Versicolor is commonly browbeaten as hazardous, a notion that film and television frequently reinforce. However, while their widebodies and fangs can make them appear monstrous and venomous, most tarantulas in real life, especially in New World species, are not dangerous to humans. But remember that certain giant spiders usually confused for true tarantulas have more venom.
The colours and patterns of the Avicularia-genus species can differ since and are generally distributed across South-America. It may therefore be a very challenging task to differentiate one species from the other.
However, individuals breed species with positive motives; multiple species have been mated several times, convinced that they were the same. Therefore, Avicularia-genus thoroughbred species are hard to locate in the hobby, leaving varietal purity open for discussion.
