Alas, poor Hemingway, we hardly knew ye....
Well, it had to happen soon.... my very first tarantula, the G. rosea named Hemingway, died last week. Near as I can tell, he died last Thursday night. Sigh....
Since he'd molted out male on Jan 13, 2005, I'd been expecting him to start showing signs of his age for quite a while now. Male tarantulas live only 1-1/2 to 3 years after their ultimate molt -- i.e. their molt into sexual maturity, where they finally exhibit the male-specific physical characterstics of sperm bulbs on their pedipalps and, for most species at least, tibial hooks on their forelegs. (Go read up on the mating habits of tarantulas if you want explanations for those two physical items -- tarantulas have rather... unique... mating behavior. *g*) But, he'd been looking and acting normal; the only behavioral quirk that I'd noticed that could be a possible sign of his advancing age was that he'd spun a thick web matting on part of the floor of his habitat. And since he wasn't going to molt anymore -- his usual time to spin such a matting -- I figured he just wanted to be comfortable in his old age. But he didn't go off and hide in a corner, gradually curling up tighter and tighter, the was Cheezit did when she died (and the way tarantulas are supposed to do.) He just kinda... hung out, the way he always has. Until I looked in when I came home from work in the early Friday morning hours, and there he was, dead.
Ah well, he lived almost three years post-ultimate-molt, so that's a good lifespan for a male tarantula. Rest in peace, Hemingway... you were a good spider.
Since he'd molted out male on Jan 13, 2005, I'd been expecting him to start showing signs of his age for quite a while now. Male tarantulas live only 1-1/2 to 3 years after their ultimate molt -- i.e. their molt into sexual maturity, where they finally exhibit the male-specific physical characterstics of sperm bulbs on their pedipalps and, for most species at least, tibial hooks on their forelegs. (Go read up on the mating habits of tarantulas if you want explanations for those two physical items -- tarantulas have rather... unique... mating behavior. *g*) But, he'd been looking and acting normal; the only behavioral quirk that I'd noticed that could be a possible sign of his advancing age was that he'd spun a thick web matting on part of the floor of his habitat. And since he wasn't going to molt anymore -- his usual time to spin such a matting -- I figured he just wanted to be comfortable in his old age. But he didn't go off and hide in a corner, gradually curling up tighter and tighter, the was Cheezit did when she died (and the way tarantulas are supposed to do.) He just kinda... hung out, the way he always has. Until I looked in when I came home from work in the early Friday morning hours, and there he was, dead.
Ah well, he lived almost three years post-ultimate-molt, so that's a good lifespan for a male tarantula. Rest in peace, Hemingway... you were a good spider.