Plain-English reference
Tarantula Glossary
A quick guide to the words you will see around The Spoodoire, care guides and the UK tarantula hobby.
- Spiderling
- A young tarantula, often very small and still several moults away from juvenile size.
- Sling
- Keeper shorthand for spiderling.
- Juvenile
- A growing tarantula that is past the tiniest spiderling stage but not yet adult.
- Sub-adult
- A tarantula approaching maturity, often easier to sex and more established than a juvenile.
- Mature male
- An adult male that has reached breeding maturity, often with a shorter remaining lifespan than females.
- Mature female
- An adult female, often larger and longer-lived than males of the same species.
- New World
- Species from the Americas. Many have urticating hairs and are popular with newer keepers.
- Old World
- Species from Africa, Asia and Europe. Many are faster or more defensive and better suited to experienced keepers.
- Arboreal
- Tree-dwelling or climbing species that usually need vertical structure.
- Terrestrial
- Ground-dwelling species that use floor space, hides and substrate.
- Fossorial
- Burrowing species that need deeper substrate and may spend a lot of time underground.
- Urticating hairs
- Irritating hairs flicked by many New World species as a defence.
- Moult
- The shedding of the old exoskeleton so the tarantula can grow.
- Premoult
- The period before a moult, often marked by fasting, hiding and darker colouration.
- Exuvia
- The shed exoskeleton left behind after a moult.
- Bolus
- The leftover compacted remains of a feeder insect after the spider has eaten.
