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How to Tell the Sex of a Tarantula

With nearly a thousand species of tarantulas in existence around the world, certain behavioral characteristics and physical attributes can be attributed to all male and female tarantulas to distinguish their sex. Mature tarantulas are more easily differented, while younger tarantulas are harder to tell apart because of their similar body and abdomen size, and lack of visible reproductive organs

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the behavior of the spiders during mating. The male will be the one who rubs his abdomen against potential mating locations until a willing female enters the mating mat. After mating is complete, the male tarantula always leaves the mating area after fertilization. The female will take over the mating site and protect the eggs.
- 2
  Inspect the front two legs of the tarantula. Mature male tarantulas will have hooks on the front legs to secure the female during mating.
- 3
  Examine the physical size of the tarantula. Although tarantulas are approximately the same size as juveniles, as they begin to mature, the females tend to grow larger than male tarantulas. The abdomen of the female tarantula generally is larger due to the female's reproductive nature.

Insects & Science