Giant White-knee Tarantula- Acanthoscurria geniculata.
Image: Alan Henderson
Source: Museum Victoria
Question: How many specimens of exotic tarantulas are there on display at the Museum and what species are they?
Answer: Our tarantulas are on display in the Bugs Alive! exhibition - at a minimum we always have 8 live spiders in the quarantine room that visitors can view throughout the day. They get fed once a fortnight during opening hours (generally on a Saturday).
As well as the live ones, we also have a series of shed skins in the display case in front of the quarantine room to give an idea of how they grow. Finally, we have around 15 spider specimens mounted on a glass panel in the exhibition space so you can get a really up-close look at them.
The species of live exotic tarantulas we have at the moment include the Goliath, Sri Lankan Ornamental, Brazilian Salmon Pink, Mexican Red-rumped, Sun-tiger, Giant White Knee, King Baboon and Cobalt Blue.