Meet the Mighty Baboon Spider: A Guide to South Africa's Arachnids

Distribution and Habitat

The Baboon Spider Atlas has assembled the largest database of information on baboon spiders in Southern Africa and is providing novel insights into their biology. Distribution ranges have been extended and potential new species discovered. Preliminary results suggest that baboon spiders are largely endemic to South Africa and Namibia.

The Blue-footed baboon spider is endemic to South Africa where it is only known from Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal. The abdomen has a dark median line and chevrons and its lateral surface is beige with a dark pattern of bars, spots and reticulations. Baboon spiders are ground-dwelling and they spend most of their time inside their burrows. They do not usually move far from the burrow.

In South Africa this family is represented by five genera including thirty-four described species. Ceratogyrus, the horned baboon spider, is distributed across the northern parts of South Africa and its bordering countries. Harpactira the common baboon spider, occurs over the whole of South Africa and bordering countries. Pterinochilus, the ...

The king baboon spider is rusty brown to orange in color. They live in the shrublands and grasslands of east Africa, often using vegetation as a protective cover for their burrows. They are one of the few tarantulas that use stridulation as a major defense mechanism in addition to rearing up and striking. They produce the stridulation-sound-effect by rubbing the femurs of their first and second ...

Harpactira gigas, sometimes called the common baboon spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae. It is found in South Africa from Western Cape Province north to Limpopo Province.

The Harpactirinae (commonly called baboon spiders) ... Type species⁚ Augacephalus breyeri. In synonymy⁚ Augacephalus nigrifemur (Schmidt, 1995) Augacephalus junodi. Augacephalus breyeri (Hewitt, 1919) Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini; Augacephalus ezendami (Gallon, 2001) ...

This species was discovered in 2004 during a survey undertaken in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. It is endemic to South Africa, and found exclusively in a small part of the Letaba area of the park associated with Mopani-Acacia woodland. The Baboon Spider is a ground-dweller that constructs relatively permanent silk-lined burrows

In general, the arid Bushmanland, Karoo, Kalahari, and Namaqualand regions are the most poorly known for most animal taxa in South Africa and the same is likely to be the case for baboon spiders. The baboon spiders of Namibia are very poorly known, as is the case for Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The goal of the Baboon Spider Atlas is to discover and describe the diversity of these amazing spiders in southern Africa, so that they may be better appreciated and conserved. We provide a platform for experts and novices alike to get involved in this citizen science project. ... Remarkably, we still know relatively little about our baboon ...

Here, we describe the Baboon Spider Atlas, a project combining traditional research with citizen science to map the diversity and distributions of baboon spiders (Araneae⁚ Theraphosidae) in Southern Africa. Our project embraces the fear factor associated with spiders to obtain photographic records from the public.

The new species of baboon spider was discovered in a clearing in the mopane-acacia woodland near Letaba and has not yet been found anywhere else in Kruger.

Baboon Spider Atlaswww.baboonspideratlas.co.zaLargely endemic to South Africa and Namibia. Harpactirella. The lesser baboon spiders. Smaller than most baboon spiders and some of the most beautiful.

The distinguishing characteristic of baboon spiders is their size. They can reach a leg span of 12-15cm. Some other spiders, such as rain spiders or tropical wolf spiders, can rival this but baboon spiders are much stockier heavier animals. It is uncertain how they got their name, but it probably relates to their large, hairy appearance.

The Blue-footed baboon spider is much sought after amongst collectors and is traded as a pet globally. South Africa has a rich diversity of baboon spiders, represented by eight genera and 44 species of which 35 are endemic to the region. They belong to the family Theraphosidae.

Physical Characteristics

Baboon spiders are large, bulky, and hairy, with a body length of 13-90 mm long, with the average spider measuring 20-50 mm. They have robust non-tapering legs and the pads or scopulae setae under the feet allow them to walk up the smoothest of surfaces ⸺ even glass. The distinguishing characteristic of baboon spiders is their size. They can reach a leg span of 12-15cm. Some other spiders, such as rain spiders or tropical wolf spiders, can rival this but baboon spiders are much stockier heavier animals. It is uncertain how they got their name, but it probably relates to their large, hairy appearance.

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