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Sticker of Pinkfoot goliath tarantula
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Pinkfoot goliath tarantula

Theraphosa apophysis
Name means: “apophysis means a little bump, after the spikes on the male's legs”
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsSpidersRainforests and jungles8 legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The pinkfoot goliath tarantula is one of the biggest spiders in the world, as big as the famous goliath birdeater. It is coffee brown with long orange hairs. When it is young, the tips of its legs are pink, like it has painted toenails.

Fun fact: spiders are not insects. Insects have six legs, spiders have eight. Everyone calls them bugs anyway!
Lives in
The rainforests of Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil
Length
8 to 8.7 cm (3.1 to 3.4 in)
Top speed
about 1.8 km/h (1.1 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can bite or sting
What does it eat?
It is a big, hungry hunter that grabs insects and other small animals. Keepers say it eats with great appetite.
For real!Photo of Pinkfoot goliath tarantula
Picture by JR Ferrer-Paris. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Pinkfoot goliath tarantula about 8.7 cm long (3.4 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 2.5 toy building bricks in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 2 seconds

How big is Pinkfoot goliath tarantula compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its body can be almost 9 centimetres long, and its back legs are about 10 centimetres long.

2

The pink on its feet fades a little every time it sheds its skin, until it is gone.

3

Grown-up males get a shiny wine-red sheen on parts of their body and legs.

4

It can make a hissing sound by rubbing special parts of its legs together.

5

Even expert spider keepers find it hard to look after, because it is jumpy and needs very damp air.

you asked

Most asked questions about Pinkfoot goliath tarantula

?How big is the pinkfoot goliath tarantula?

Its body is about 8 to 9 centimetres long, and its longest legs are about 10 centimetres.

?Why is it called pinkfoot?

Because young ones have pink tips on their legs, which fade as they grow.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Theraphosa apophysis
Named by
Tinter, 1991
Group
Spiders
Family
Theraphosidae
Classification
Arachnida > Araneae > Theraphosidae
Lives on
South America

Where the facts come from

  1. Theraphosa apophysis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by JR Ferrer-Paris. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Spiders

Also at home here: Rainforests and jungles