Mexican Red-knee Tarantula – Anatomy

As arthropods, the Mexican redknee tarantula has a segmented body divided into a cephalothorax (a fusion of the head and thorax) and an abdomen. Its body is dark brown with eight legs, each featuring distinctive orange-red joints. The ends of the legs are sensitive to vibrations, smells and tastes to help the tarantula locate prey and potential mates, although it also has a group of eight eyes. However, its vision is relatively poor. This arachnid also has two pairs of specialized appendages. The first pair, known as the chelicerae, is used for feeding and defense and is connected to venom glands. The second pair, called pedipalps, assists in feeding, movement and reproduction. The Mexican redknee's black abdomen is covered in brown hairs and lacks appendages, except for one to four pairs of short, movable spinnerets, which produce silk. When threatened, this tarantula will use its hind legs to kick hairs from its abdomen. These hairs can cause blindness if they contact a predator's eyes and may also irritate the skin. Adult males possess special copulatory organs located on their pedipalps. Females are generally larger than males.