We have incorporated a group of five blue-footed baboon tarantulas (Monocentropus balfouri) into the exhibition of poisonous creatures at Terra Natura Benidorm. The objective of their arrival is to enrich and expand the biological diversity of this educational and informative exhibition, located inside the park’s volcano.

This species is one of not many sociable arachnids that exist, which means they allow the proximity of other congeners and even develop community cobwebs, so this makes possible for them to share the same terrarium. In general, spiders don´t have social ties because they are mostly predatory and cannibalize other spiders that enter their surroundings.

The terrarium where they are going to live has been equipped with trunks of different sizes to make easy the construction of den and cobwebs. This space also has ventilation and thermal blankets to control the temperature and environmental parameters, and has a natural coconut fibre substrate to keep humidity levels adequate.

The common name these spiders receive is due to the light brown or beige colour of their body and the dark legs that remind of baboon monkeys. The distinction of ‘blue feet’ is given to differentiate this species from other tarantulas. As a curiosity, this species compensates the lack of stinging hairs as a defence mechanism with a much more powerful venom than other arachnids.

In Terra Natura Benidorm lives others tarantulas, such as the Goliath, that feeds on birds, or the pink-footed tarantula. In total, includes eight tarantulas of four different species, in addition to scorpions and other insects like leaf insects and spiny or giant stick insects. These animals are distributed throughout the 200 square metres permanent exhibition.