Green Bottle Blue Tarantula
Deep within the arid scrublands of Venezuela, among the agave and the cacti, is a colourful nocturnal predator among some of the most beautiful animals on the planet. Over millions of years of evolution.
This species has been honed into a hunting machine laying in weight in its burrow for an unlucky insect, small lizard or even a small mammal to cross its path, making their home at the base of the cacti or in the crevice of rock. The green bottle blue tarantula spins up a house of Webb creating tunnels for it to hide in and laying a thin layer of webbing around its burrow that acts like trip lines or sensors so it can feel any prey that is ventured into its territory.
Green Bottle Blue Tarantula Habitat
Though the environment where they make their home is sweltering and dry, they typically spend their days hidden away from the sun and the heat. Hiding out in the extraordinary dark safety of their lair, the chromatopelma cyanopubescence is a spider classified as mygalomorph, which evolved and branched off from true spiders over 300 million years ago.
More specifically, they were in the family Theraphosidae, which consists of over 100 different genera and over a thousand tarantula species—initially described by strand in 1907 as yuri Palma cyanopubescence.
They were later reclassified in 1939 into the de la pelma genus commonly known today as a fauna pelham through closer observation. Study it became apparent that there were some severe anatomical differences between the gbb and other efonopelma tarantulas, mainly their burrowing characteristics.
So in 1995, the researcher Schmidt created the chromatopelma genus. Just for this tarantula. a genus, they are still the only species This day. of all the tarantulas on the planet, though there are few as colourful and beautiful as this particular species with their bright greens, blues, and orange or red hairs, tarantulas mostly hunt at night, ambushing their prey. At the same time, they stay hidden in the mouths of the caves. They sense the upcoming game and navigate the landscape not so much by eyesight but by using chemo tactile scents, which essentially means they can feel chemical changes in their environment.
Even though like most spiders, the gbb has eight eyes, their vision is relatively poor, and they are believed not to be able to see in great detail or even distinguish between different colours very well, with a possible exception being the colour blue which they seem to be able to perceive.
Rather nicely, it makes you wonder why the green bottle blue evolved to have such unique patterns and bright colours because based on their inability to see colours, it doesn't appear to be part of any mating signal this has led scientists.
To theorize, it may be the result of natural selection for reasons that are not yet fully understood and need to be studied further. Many nocturnal animals can see yellow and green wavelengths of light very well, giving them excellent night vision. The colour green would blend in with the surroundings though it would be seen very bright, possibly why solid bright.
Green tarantulas are very rare, while blue would blend in with the background Much better, making them more challenging to be seen by potential predators, so the combination of blue legs and bluish green carapace might help camouflage them from their nocturnal predators and make them appear to have a shape not immediately recognizable as a tarantula giving their predator with night vision pause before attacking.
Unlike most spiders, tarantulas do not catch their prey using their web. Tarantulas have long hair-like structures all over their body called sites that they use to sense not only chemical changes in the air, but they are sensitive enough to feel the change in the movement of air molecules.
They also have sensitive receptors in their feet that can feel the slightest movement and vibration using all of these senses combined. They can determine the location of their prey and patiently lie in weight then quickly pound before the most target has a chance to escape.
They have large fangs that inject a paralyzing venom into their prey, quickly rendering them motionless. While this venom can be deadly to small inverts mammals, and reptiles. It is very mild compared to the poison of other animals and possesses no real danger to humans.
Other than a bit of pain and discomfort, mainly the venom is used to subdue and kill their prey before they begin feeding upon them for self-defence.
The green bottle blue has another weapon in its arsenal called urticating hairs. They kick these hairs off their bodies in a cloud towards anything they perceive as dangerous, and they are very effective. Urticating setae have barbs all along the shaft of the hair, so when they penetrate the skin, they hook in much like a fish hook and become lodged. Creating a histamine reaction in humans can cause itching and maybe even a burning sensation and a slight rash, swelling or even bumps or hives.
Though very irritating and uncomfortable, rarely is medical attention required unless there is an anaphylactic reaction. Suppose these hairs were to get into your nose, mouth, or throat.
The reaction and discomfort could be much more severe, but for reptiles, birds or mammals, that may try to make this tarantula their next meal. These heirs can be pretty effective in deterring an attack as they can cause blindness to restrict breathing and other severe. Complications to any predator that attempts to sneak up on a GBB and catches a face full of their urticating sette.
Quick Facts about Green Bottle Blue Tarantula
Species Name: Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
Family: Theraphosidae
Care Level: Beginner-friendly
Temperature: 72℉-82℉
Temperament: Active but flighty
Color Form: Blue-green body with orange hairs and abdomen
Lifespan: Females: up to 14 years; males: up to 4 years
Size:2.75” L
Diet: Crickets and other small insects
Minimum Tank Size: Three times its diagonal leg span (DLS), 6.25”; at least 20” L x 12” W
Tank Set-Up: Well-ventilated enclosure with a 2-inch substrate area
Compatibility: Solitary
Green Bottle Blue Tarantula Lifespan
This tarantula can grow up to about 6 inches in leg span. Females live up to 14 years while males live only about four years. Females are usually a little larger with a stalkier bodies.
While males appear thinner and have longer legs when mature and ready to mate, they also develop tibial hooks on their front pair of legs. That they use to hold the females' fangs while mating, as well as palpable bulbs on their pedops for the most part female gbbs, do not venture far beyond the area surrounding their burrow spending the majority of their lives strain. more than 10 feet from where they have their elaborate webbing, males, on the other hand, has reached maturity begin wandering.
The area once the sun begins to set and temperatures are going back down searching through the night for a female's burrow and a chance to attempt mating. It is not uncommon for the female to eat the male after mating but if the male escapes becoming her next meal his time is still limited.
As he does not have much longer to live after becoming fully mature. The chromatopelma sine of pubescence lays her eggs and keeps them safely in a sack made from her own webbing that she protects tirelessly until they begin to hatch each sack can have as many as 100 to 200 eggs or more.
That will hatch and begin moulting until they become spiderlings, not all the spiderlings will survive as some are weak and die from exposure. While others may be cannibalized by other spiderlings in her brood but a good number of them will grow and eventually leave her burrow and venture out to make their own burrows and begin hunting as spiderlings.
these baby gbbs look very different than adult green bottle blue tarantulas. with a black and orange striped abdomen black and light orange or even tan legs and a gold and black carapace.
But as they get older each moult reveals a slightly different pattern and colouration that slowly begins to resemble the adult colouration more and more though this world is filled with fascinating creatures.
There are a few tarantulas that are as colourful and as beautiful as the chromatopelma cyanopubescence making them both fascinating to observe in nature.
If you're lucky to come across one in the wild as well as a very popular tarantula to keep as a pet. Known among the tarantula hobby as one of the best display tarantulas. There are few species that rival them in beauty personality and the ability to create gorgeous intricate webbing.
Now I know this BLOG is a lot different from the blogs I usually make, but if you enjoyed it, let me know.
Leave a comment below and give me your thoughts on this style of content, and if there are other species, you'd like to know if you want to read more, thanks. I will post to you next week.