Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Mexican red-kneed tarantula
References
Images
Mexican red-kneed tarantula (Brachypelma smithii). Tarantula
Britannica AI Icon

Mexican red-kneed tarantula

spider
Also known as: Brachypelma smithii
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Mexican red-kneed tarantula (Brachypelma smithii).
Mexican red-kneed tarantula (Brachypelma smithii).

The Mexican red-kneed tarantula (Brachypelma smithii) is a species of large, hairy spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae. These tarantulas are native to Mexico and are often kept as docile pets.12

Tarantulas, in general, have a body composed of a fused head and thorax (cephalothorax) and an abdomen. They possess eight hairy legs attached to the cephalothorax, which are sensitive to vibrations. Near their mouth, they have chelicerae with venomous fangs and leg-like pedipalps used for sensing and manipulating food.1

While tarantulas are venomous and can deliver a painful bite, they are not typically considered dangerous to humans and are not easily provoked. The Mexican red-kneed tarantula is one of several popular docile species kept as pets.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. desert tarantula
  2. tarantula

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.