French Guiana and Amapa (Brazil)

[Patricio Cavallo]

Thank you everyone!

Tom, who knows...we might even meet up in FG! I want to go again as soon as possible!

[Tom Patterson]

I never get tired of seeing pics of T. blondi out in nature, its my goal in life to make it their some day

Later, Tom

[K Smith]

Absolutely beautiful pics. What an experience. The Ephebopus "blue fang" was stunning. Amazing sight the spiderlings with their T blondi mother.

Thanks for putting them on here!

[andy hood]

Brilliant photo's and spiders!!

[James Box]

amazing photos, Pato!
really love the Avics and Ephebopus!

[Patricio Cavallo]

PS. I will post some more pics soon...I want to wait some time, cause the photobucket account is about to blow up and asking me to go Pro and pay them...lol!

[Patricio Cavallo]

Thank you Colin and Noel!

Colin, I have lots of pics. The Avic from FG I only found them in houses and never in the forest. Though they were supposed to be a lot in the forest, according to a french friend. I guess we didn't look especially in the kinds of plants they live. But in Brazil, I found a lot in the forest...many of them...and in houses too. In Brazil, they make nests in palm trees...I have a picture where two adults females are in the same palm tree, about 2 meters apart from each other. Good thing is that people dont bother tarantulas, as they know they are harmless and even beneficial as they eat bugs...
I have precise locations. I started writing about the trip...in english, but I having doubts if its better to do it in spanish and then translate it...since my english is quiet limited...

cheers,
pato

[Noel Sargent]

I totally agree Colin the landscape shots are amazing as are the spider shots especially the T blondi spiderlings what an experience to have thanks for sharing..

[Colin D Wilson]

Stunning landscape shots Pato.

Some great finds too ... well worth the trip.

If you have any more varied Avic pictures then please post them up (if you have exact localities then even better).

and i'm definitely looking forward to reading about T blondi in an article as it's a spider i've not a lot of knowledge of, always good to learn more about animals in natural habitat, it helps us simulate this in captivity which is better for the spider in the long run.

[Patricio Cavallo]

Thank you all!

Yes Noel, they are all in situ... all of them wild animals we've found and photographed. The main reason of the trip, was because I wanted to see T. blondi in the wild and gather data about them. Hopefully I'll make a special article about them.

Colin, indeed that Avic was different from the one in FG.

Avicularia from FG



T. blondi adult with my hand besides for size comparison. (this picture has terrible lighting...I tried to fix it a little bit...)



Collecting data



Old adult female in premolt, at the burrow entrance;



picking up and then leaving her alone in her burrow, for size comparison... the pic didn't came out quite as I expected....



coolest finding of the trip: you don't get to see this often in the wild...new born T. blondi with mother, inside burrow.



T. blondi habitat



other landscape shots:













myself













Pato-

[Noel Sargent]

That is amazing, were all these specimen's wild and images taken in situ ??? if so I am Jealous as hell. What an experience..... congrats

[Colin D Wilson]

Great images Pato, the Avicularia sp. "Amapa green" (possibly ) is stunning.

[Guy Tansley]

Fantastic pics!

[Patricio Cavallo]

Some pictures of a recent field trip where 10 different Theraphosidae species were found.

Avicularia sp. from Amapa



Tapinauchenius sp. from Amapa (possibly plumipes)



Ephebopus cyanognathus (juvenile)



Ephebopus rufescens



Theraphosa blondi











Best regards,
Pato