Denver homeowner Taylor Foley recently faced a surprising turn in her pet‑care routine. After adopting a Costa Rican zebra tarantula named Asmodeus in January 2023, she learned during the spider’s final molt that the creature was a male, not a female as she had originally believed.
Male tarantulas have a short window
Male Costa Rican zebra tarantulas typically live only five to six years, far shorter than the 20‑to‑30‑year lifespan of females. The final molt, which is akin to puberty for these arachnids, revealed distinctive tibial hooks on Asmodeus’s front legs—structures males use to hold a female’s fangs aside during mating.
“When they molt for the last time and shed their skin, they get these structures on their front legs called tibial hooks,” Foley explained. “Those hooks are what they use to hold the female fangs out of the way so that they can mate.”
Seeking a partner online
Concerned that Asmodeus would spend his remaining years without fulfilling his biological imperative, Foley turned to the online community for help. She posted a request on Reddit titled “Mature male Aphonopelma seemanni tarantula seeking hot spider date near him.” The quirky description—“He loves piña coladas (crickets), long walks on the beach (hiding in his burrow) & being mysterious (also hiding in his burrow)”—quickly attracted attention.
The response was swift. A breeder in Broomfield, operating under the name Wild West Inverts, offered a suitable female tarantula for a potential weeks‑long courtship. Foley plans to transport Asmodeus to the breeder’s facility on Thursday, where the two spiders will meet and, if all goes well, mate.
The mating process
When a male tarantula is ready, he produces a packet of semen that he stores on his fangs. During mating, the male inserts this packet into an opening on the female’s abdomen called the opisthosoma. After the act, the male typically retreats to avoid being eaten—a risk that remains “really small but not zero,” according to Foley.
“As long as the female isn’t hungry after they do it, then it should be fine,” Foley said. “There is a really small but not zero chance that the female spider could eat Asmodeus after they mate.”
Future generations
If the female later lays an egg sac, Asmodeus could father hundreds of offspring. Foley admits she does not need that many and plans to keep a few for personal interest while selling the rest to other breeders or hobbyists.
“I really don’t need hundreds of tarantulas. I wouldn’t know what to do with that,” she said. “So then I’ll get a couple of them and the rest will be sold to different shops or breeders or individuals.”
Local pet‑keeping community shines
This story highlights the supportive nature of Denver’s niche pet‑keeping community. By leveraging a national platform like Reddit, a local enthusiast was able to connect with a nearby breeder, ensuring that Asmodeus’s final years are spent fulfilling his natural role. It also underscores the importance of understanding species‑specific biology, especially when caring for exotic pets.
Original reporting: Denverite — read the source article.
