Hi there, Guy from bugsnstuff and giantspiders.com
Mexico field trip this time searching for the Mexican red knee tarantula – Brachypelma smithi
There’s me on the left, Andrew Smith in the middle and Dr Stuart Longhorn on the right
Here we can see typical Brachypelma smithi habitat.
Dry, dense deciduous forest and of course, roadside embankments give us easy access to any burrows.
Our first burrow was right next to the roadside and a closer inspection using a torch, revealed the legs of the spider inside.
This one was reluctant to emerge so we moved on to find another.
This very picturesque burrow was under the roots of a tree.
We had seen the spider earlier in the day but it disappeared into its burrow whenever we got too close
so we waiting patiently and eventually the spider emerged.
It's now late afternoon and the spider is out, waiting in ambush for passing prey.
Check out those beautiful orange and red legs.
This one was easily extracted so let's take a closer look at the spider out in the open.
Looking at this spider you may be mistaken for thinking this is not Brachypelma smithi
but the closely related species of Brachypelma hamorii but this footage was shot
south of the river Balsas and that’s where the range of Brachypelma smithi begins.
They are highly variable in colour over their range.
Here's Stuart recording all of the relevant data.
Another shot of the same spider using a different camera, showing the great contrasting colours on this species.
One of the easier and safer species to handle in the field but as usual,
exercising great caution by sitting down and making sure the spider is not going to fall.
Let's get the spider back into its burrow
Unfortunately the only male we found was this dead one squashed on the roadside
OK, onto our next location
and here we found a large spiderling under loose rocks and leaf litter, again, near the roadside.
Even at this small size, you can see the characteristic pattern that will develop as the spider grows into that brilliant red and black colouration.
Another roadside embankment and a huge burrow this time
Looking inside with a torch revealed large legs so we were looking at one of the bigger individuals
Over to Stuart for the task of getting the spider safely out
A little bit defensive of its burrow and for good reason but thankfully this one was enticed out without any problems
Another very dark specimen but, have a close look – only six and a half legs!
This shot gives you an idea of just how big this spider was
But only six and a half legs. One re-grown front one and the other completely missing.
It’s common to find spiders with missing legs in the wild but just how they lost them, will always be a mystery.
Photos done, time to put the spider back
So onto our final location and the first one we found was a small sub-adult hiding under these rocks.
Our final spider was found out basking in this position
probably warming its abdomen in the afternoon sun, quite high up on the embankment.
Let's see how the spider responds
So here we have a beautiful example of Brachypelma smithi.
Reduced markings on the carapace and more typical of what you’d expect to find in the wild
So this location is much further south than the first two so you can see just how variable in colour this species is over its range.
I make no apology for these lingering shots of this beautiful spider.
It's an iconic species which I’ve kept in captivity for many years
but it was a real privilege to see them in their natural habitat.
Not as large as the one with six and a half legs but still a good sized, mature adult female
Check out how dry the surrounding soil is in the habitat
the burrow was located on that ridge, just behind me on the embankment.
Another amazing find for the team
All done, let's return this spider back to where it belongs.