Range:

This species is found in Brazil and Uruguay.  

Habitat:

This species occurs in grasslands and forests. Brazilian black tarantulas will often take over the burrows of other animals rather than dig its own. These burrows are often located beneath some type of object such as the base of a tree trunk or rock outcrop.  

Coloration:

Like other tarantulas this species is covered in fine hairs. In this particular species the fine hairs give it the appearance of velvet and are jet back in color.  

Habits/Diets:

The Brazilian black tarantula is known for its docile disposition. Unlike the "true spiders", members of the sub-order Orthognatha have jaws which open vertically and strike downward into their prey, much like a snake or a cat.

Spiders do not eat solid foods, instead they inject a digestive enzyme into their prey that rapidly breaks down the tissues of internal organs into a liquid state.Small teeth at the bases of the pedipalps will crush the exoskeleton of their prey to more rapidly pour these enzymes on to the soft inner parts. The liquid food is then drawn into the esophagus by the pumping action of what is called the sucking stomach.

Tarantulas have no nose or taste buds. They instead use chemical receptors present on their pedipalps to distinguish between their proper foods and other liquids. They also do not have a sense of hearing. However, they can detect the slightest air movements within their immediate environment through the sensitive hairs found all over their body. Touch is certainly the tarantula's most important sense.

The diet consists of insects, other spiders, lizards, small snakes, mice, toads and occasionally nestling birds.  

Tarantulas do not possess a trachea as seen in the true spiders. Instead, they breathe using a primitive apparatus known as the book lungs. The book lungs are so called because in the chamber that houses them, the lamellae are stacked in the manner of pages in a book. They are not exposed to the air directly but receive it via a short tube that is situated just anterior to the genital opening. It is believed that air oxygenates the blood by diffusion alone because breathing movements have not been observed in spiders. This means that they cannot increase their oxygen intake during times of greater oxygen demand, as can most animals.  

Reproduction/gestation:

After their last molt, male tarantulas develop palpal bulbs on the end of their pedipalps which are the club-shaped structures located on either side of the chelicera (fangs). These palpal bulbs are used to deliver seminal fluid to the female. The male constructs a sperm web into which he deposits a drop of seminal fluid. He then dips the bulbs in the fluid to absorb it and then aggressively pursues a female.

The breeding season is generally June to September. When a male finds a female he touches her with his leg. If receptive, the female raises her front legs, opens her fangs and moves closer. The male has hooks on his front legs which he uses to hold the fangs open. He then inserts the palpal bulb into the female's seminal receptacle to deliver the sperm.

Although mating takes place late summer or early fall, the eggs will not be laid until the following summer. The female spins a thick layer of silk to lay her eggs in. Hundreds of eggs are laid (approximately 600). She then gathers up the silk to form an egg case. The incubation is between two weeks and three months.  

Longevity:

Females may live 20 years and males generally live between 6 – 7 years. Our tarantula is a female.  

General comments:

This species has been highly sought after by the pet trade because of its docile nature. The Brazilian black tarantula is also known to be difficult to reproduce in captivity, it can be rare to find in collections.