Reproduction

Prior to mating the male spider will spin a hammock like web inside his container, crawl on his back underneath it and deposit his sperm upon the web (known as a sperm web). He will then climb on top of the web and fill his pedipalp bulbs with sperm via capillary action. He will usually perform this around a week after his maturing moult when the tibial hooks or mating spurs become apparent and visible. Once this task has been performed the male tarantula will then destroy the web. At this time the male tarantula will start to try and find a mate and become very active.

Upon finding a female of the same species the male tarantula will drum with his pedipalps on the ground and tap the female with his front pair of legs. The female may respond by drumming back. Once this has been performed the male spider will run quickly over to the female which by now has reared up exposing her fangs. The male will then quickly secure her fangs by hooking onto them with the tibial spurs located on his front legs. Now he is out of danger and with the females fangs secure he will proceed to inseminate her by slipping his pedipalps one by one into her genital openings.

Now mating has been completed the male spider slowly releases the females fangs one at a time, He then uses the same leg which did the securing of the fang to stroke her abdomen whilst the second fang is unhooked. With both of the fangs released he will then proceed to quickly retreat by running backward waving his front legs and pedipalps in the air until such a time he is no longer in danger of being attacked and eaten.

In their natural habitat the male tarantula rarely gets harmed by the female after mating since their burrows are usually in an open area which gives the male plenty of room to make his exit. However on occasion the female may kill and eat the male tarantula which benefits her by providing her with a high source of protein to help the development of her eggs.

After a time usually between six and nine weeks the female tarantula will spin a mat like web on the ground. She will then proceed to then lay her eggs upon the web, finally she will proceed to wrap the eggs in the web until it resembles a large cotton wool like ball known as the egg sack. The eggs themselves will appear to be yellowish in colour and will take anything between four to sixteen weeks to hatch, during which time she will rarely or sometimes never leave the egg sack.  

A Mexican Red Knee protecting her egg sack