Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula Fact Sheet
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Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula Fact Sheet Common Name: Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula / Chilean Fire Tarantula / Chilean Red Haired Tarantula Scientific Name: Grammostola rosea Wild Status: Most likely Least Concern Habitat: Scrub and Desert regions Country: Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia Shelter: Burrows in the wild Life Span: 5 years for males, up to 20 years for females, possibly longer Size: 3 inch body, 6 inch leg span Details The Chilean Rose Hair is a species of tarantula from - you guessed it, Chile! They are one of the most common tarantulas in the pet trade because of the low-maintenance for care, and their fairly docile nature with humans. The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is a carnivore and has been known to eat a variety of insects such as cockroaches, beetles, and crickets, as well as small lizards and mammals, and even young snakes and amphibians. They are known as "wandering spiders", meaning they spend most of the time in protected areas such as under rocks or in burrows, and they don't spin webs to catch their prey. Some of their predators include skunks and raccoons, as well as the spider-hunting wasp. Cool Facts • Like the majority of tarantulas, they have urticating hairs covering their abdomen that they kick off as the first line of defense • Females greatly outlive the males, and males often die shortly after mating. • After mating, the female will produce a fairly large egg sac of roughly 500 spiderlings. • Sometimes the Chilean Rose Hair will fast for weeks or even months at a time - this can often indicate that they are getting ready to moult. • While all tarantulas are venomous, they do not carry enough venom to kill a person, and no human has been recorded to have died from a tarantula bite. Taxonomic Breakdown Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Infraorder: Mygalomorphae Family: Theraphosidae Genus: Grammostola Species: G. rosea Conservation & Helping Some species of tarantula are endangered, however because the Chilean Rose Hair is bred successfully in captivity with stable wild populations, it's believed they are of Least Concern on the endangered species list. Download all our fact sheets, take our quizzes, and more, all in the Critter Squad Kids’ Zone! https://www.crittersquad.com/kids-zone/.