Hysterocrates gigas - Female- Giant Baboon Spider

Hysterocrates gigas - unsexed - Giant Baboon Spider

Hysterocrates gigas is a member of the tarantula family, Theraphosidae found in Cameroon. It is known as the giant baboon spider, Cameroon red baboon spider, or red baboon tarantula.

This is a burrowing spider and ranges in color from a dull black and gray to a rusty orange/brown. It is black when freshly moulted (post-moult) and turns brown just before a moult (pre-moult). Its eyes are small and weak and only able to judge light levels. Its abdomen is oval in shape with a diameter up to 4 inches (100 mm). Although it has hairy legs, this tarantula is an Old World species and does not have urticating hairs on its abdomen.