Brachypelma smithi egg laying
Carl and Susan Portman

  We would like to share with visitors to the BTS Website some exclusive photographs we took of our Brachypelma smithi egg laying. We think they are quite rare and we hope you like them.

All photographs copyright Carl and Susan Portman

 
BEFORE: Heavily gravid laying down the silk and preparing to release the eggs

 
DURING: Laying the eggs. The abdomen is a sorry sight – and she still has to get through weeks of caring for the egg sac.

 
DURING: Beginning to spin silk over the eggs, which can Clearly be seen as yellow spherical clusters

AFTER: The female makes the egg sac. The whole process took several hours, during Which the spider rested, often.