Transcript Aphonopelma Chalcodes *Desert Blonde Tarantula*

Aphonopelma Chalcodes
“Desert Blonde Tarantula”
Sadie, Courtney, Kayla & Kensey
Biome
Desert
 Extremely low amounts of precipitation (400mm)
 Hot and dry temperature (20-25˚C)
extreme temperature ranges from 43-49°
C
 Majority of plants have long roots to get
water from deep beneath the soil, along
with the waxy leaves, the plants can retain
water easily
Distribution range
Found in most of the worlds tropical, subtropical and arid regions.
Population

Is a safe species, but it is tough to
differentiate from other tarantulas so
there is not an estimate of the current
population.
Community
Predator- Parasitic Pepsis wasp (paralyze
the spider with a sting and lay eggs on the
spider)
 Live in plant dominated communities
 They impact the insect population
through their predatory behaviors

Ecological niche
Nocturnal predators that don’t travel far
from their burrows unless mating season
 They plug their burrows in the winter and
survive in a relatively inactive state living
off of fat reserves.

Biotic & Abiotic factors
Doesn’t need much water to survive
 Uses abandoned burrows left by rodents
for their habitat
 Often a victim of parasitism: species of
wasps inject their venom, paralyze the
spider and when the wasps eggs hatch
they eat the spider.

Adaptations
The hairs of their back are specialized for
defense. If they are threatened they are
able to release the hairs by kicking their
back legs and brushing them into the face,
paw or other body part of the attacker
which then cause irritation and are very
difficult to remove
 They can sense predators through
vibrations from the ground

Categorized
Kingdom: Animalia (Eukaryotic organisms,
heterotrophs)
Phylum: Arthropoda (jointed legs,
exoskeleton)
Class: Arachinda (joint-legged invertebrate,
8 legs)
Order: Aranease (air-breathing arthropods,
8 legs, largest order of arachnids)
Family: Theraphoidae (hairy, long arachnids)
Bibliography


http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-factsheets/tarantula.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_chalcodes