Pterinochilus murinus

Pocock originally described Pterinochilus murinus, also known as Usambara baboon, Mombasa golden starburst tarantula, Tree Baboon Spider, or Orange baboon tarantula in 1897. They are present on Zanzibar Island and in different parts of Africa. These Semi-Arboreal or Old World Terrestrial spiders have bright-colored leg rings and carapace and abdomen of the same colors. The Pterinochilus murinus female can grow up to six inches and males up to four inches. Their legs are covered with long hairs, while shorter hairs have covered the whole body. In addition to this, these animal species do not have urticating hairs like other tarantulas. Here, we are going to discuss many exciting facts and information about these spiders.

Pterinochilus murinus habitat

The pterinochilus murinus infographic includes that they are present in Angola, Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa, Kenya, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other African continents.  They were first originated from Tanzania and Usambara. These larger tarantulas with a size of three to six inches dig their burrows themselves and use them for hiding. They use to do silk lining inside and around these burrows to feel the nearby incoming vibrations. These African species also use these caves to trap their food and live in dry environments.

Pterinochilus murinus colorforms

Researches have shown that the colorforms that have been introduced over the many years include dark grey, red or orange, tan, and brown. These Pterinochilus murinus different colorforms come from the East Africa regions and are also referred as DCF, RCF, TCF, and BCF. However, the variant named RCF is from Northeast Tanzania’s Usambara mountain regions. These tarantulas look stunning in these popular color variants. Their legs appear to have white-colored bands on them, while the body is mainly orange-colored.

Pterinochilus murinus behavior

If we talk about these terrestrial bird spiders’ behavior, they are known to be defensive and quite aggressive. These animal species will bite on becoming overly frustrated. Although they do not have urticating hairs, their bite will cause severe pain. The Pterinochilus murinus bite is not as deadly to humans as it is to their prey. However, they appear to be essentially important and are not considered a good option for beginners. These spiders are also not suggested to be kept at home due to their fast and aggressive behavior.

Pterinochilus murinus lifespan

These terrestrial bird spiders also live for a specific time, after which they die. The Pterinochilus murinus male lives a much shorter lifespan of up to three to four years, while females can live for almost twelve to fifteen years. The males also appear to be smaller in size as compared to females. Instead of this, their lifespan can be increased by providing them with a great diet and care. The males sometimes do not die before their average lifetime, unlike other tarantulas, because they do not face mating attacks by females.

Pterinochilus murinus feeding

Like all other animal species, these spiders also require a proper diet to survive. For example, their diet includes cockroaches, grasshoppers, and crickets. Although they can kill small vertebrates, i.e. snakes, birds, lizards, and mice, these terrestrial animal feeders can still not be used in captive care. It has been suggested that the prey must not be larger than the size of these spiders’ carapace. It would be great if you feed them with crickets twice a week, while adult ones can be provided every ten to fourteen days.

Pterinochilus murinus breeding

The Orange baboon tarantulas can be very quickly bred in captivity, and females undergo moulting relatively larger than males. The Pterinochilus murinus growth rate is very fast, and they can grow to three inches after one year. But this growth rate can be increased to four inches within two years by providing them with good care. The females are very possessive about their young ones and egg sacs, which contain almost seventy-five and one-hundred spiderlings. These spiderlings hatch in nearly five weeks and can be raised quickly.

Pterinochilus murinus as pets

These animal species can also be made pets due to their adversarial personality and beautiful body coloration. But they are very aggressive, hard, and defensive spiders that can bite to show their frustration. They are not suggested for beginners and are not common in different pet stores. Instead of this, they are used for pet trade purposes. The Pterinochilus murinus terrestrial bird spiders require great care to be kept as pets because they leave an excruciating bite. Due to these reasons, they must also not be handled.

Pterinochilus murinus care

There is a requirement of proper care to keep these spiders as pets, some of which are as described below:

1. It would be great to keep these terrestrial bird spiders in the hot and dry environment
2. It would be helpful to keep these animal species in those places where the temperature is between 78 to 82 degrees Celsius, and the humidity level is sixty-five percent
3. It would be helpful if you keep Pterinochilus murinus in a terrarium that allows about three to four inches of substrate
4. There must be a water dish present in an enclosure to avoid any dehydration and keep the substrate wet
5. They are considered to have defensive nature; that’s why it would be helpful if you handle your tarantulas carefully

Conclusion

As we have discussed many exciting facts and information about these terrestrial bird spiders, there are also some threats. For example, the animals that feed on these animal species include hunting wasps and others. They are not so common in pet stores but are widely used for different trade purposes. Although they are kept as pets due to their fascinating body coloration, they are still not considered suitable for the beginners. People love to keep these spiders as pets and take good care of them. It would be helpful to keep these tarantulas in the enclosure that allows three to four inches of substrate. It would also be great to feed Pterinochilus murinus with crickets twice a week, while adult ones should be provided with crickets every ten to fourteen days.