Mexican redleg tarantula
The Mexican redleg tarantula is a big, hairy spider with a dark body and pink, red or orange patches on its legs. On its back it has a light shield with a black triangle at the front. It is calm and gentle, and it grows very slowly.

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Fun facts
A girl can live for decades, longer than many pet dogs and cats.
With its legs spread out, a grown-up female is about 12.5 centimetres across.
After it changes its skin, its colours look even brighter.
It is a popular pet because it is calm and colourful.
In Mexico it is threatened, so trade in it is controlled.
Most asked questions about Mexican redleg tarantula
?How long does a Mexican redleg tarantula live?
Females can live for decades.
?How big is a Mexican redleg tarantula?
A grown-up female has a body about 6.5 centimetres long and a leg span of about 12.5 centimetres.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Brachypelma emilia
- Named by
- White, 1856
- Group
- Spiders
- Family
- Theraphosidae
- Classification
- Arachnida > Araneae > Theraphosidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Red-legged tarantula
Where the facts come from
- Brachypelma emilia (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by John. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
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