About Aphonopelma seemanni (F.O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1897)
Aphonopelma seemanni, commonly called the Costa Rican zebra tarantula or striped-knee tarantula, is a species of tarantula. This species inhabits most of western Costa Rica, as well as other parts of Central America including Honduras, Nicaragua, and possibly Guatemala. This tarantula is usually black with white stripes near its leg joints, though a brown color variant also exists. Zebra tarantulas are deep-burrowing spiders that live in open, semiarid scrublands, and are often found in large groups. Their deep burrows keep internal temperatures below the hottest daytime temperatures and retain humidity. At night when temperatures drop, the burrows insulate spiders from the lowest nighttime temperatures. Full grown zebra tarantulas reach a total leg span of 10 to 13 centimeters. Females can live up to 20 years, while males have a much shorter lifespan, living up to five years total, with only around one year of mature adulthood. In the wild, zebra tarantulas eat a wide range of insects including grasshoppers and cockroaches. In captivity, they are fed crickets. This species has urticating hairs that can be kicked off and cause irritation to human skin, though individuals rarely use this defense. Zebra tarantulas are naturally very skittish and are fast runners.
