Barking spider
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| Selenocosmia crassipes (L. Koch, 1874) |
The Barking spider (Selenocosmia crassipes) is a species of tarantula native to the East coast of Queensland, Australia.
Its body can reach a size of about 6 cm. The young spiders burrow under rocks or roots; in adults, these burrows can reach a length of up to two meters and are lined with much silk. The adult males look very different from the females.
It is often confused with Phlogiellus species, and these are often sold in petshops as S. crassipes.
[edit] Name
The species name crassipes is Latin for "fat leg". It is called "barking spider" because it "hisses" (stridulates) when disturbed, which it shares with nearly all Australian tarantulas (except some Phlogiellus species).
[edit] Trivia
"Barking spider" is also a common euphemism for flatulence.
