Semi-Social Pygmy Rainforest Tarantula (Coremiocnemis sp.) - Mature - Female

A fascinating tarantula local to the Cairns region of Far North Queensland. Inhabitants of tropical rainforests, while they do burrow to some degree, they prefer to shelter under rocks and logs. They web extensively, making heavy use of silk sheet networks with one or more entrances leading to their lair below.

While only a diminutive species – females achieving a body length of around 30mm (legspan 65mm) – what’s particularly interesting is their extended maternal care. Many tarantulas will tolerate their own offspring for a short stretch of time, but Semi-social Pygmies happily cohabitate with their young for periods of over a year. Not only do these patient mothers allow the kids to live at home, they also let their young feed from captured prey held in their chelicerae. Siblings share both living quarters and prey as well, with visages not unlike a pride of lions falling on a helpless antelope as they emerge en masse to investigate disturbances on the silk.