Life Expectancy of a Tarantula
The life cycle of the tarantula begins with the mating process, during which males leave their territories in search of mates. After performing a specialized courting ritual, males fertilize females and then move on quickly, as females are sometimes known to devour their mates following sexual contact. However, males that resist consumption rarely survive more than a few months following copulation.
Females deposit their eggs into cocoon-like structures known as eggs sacs. These eggs incubate for a period of 42 to 63 days and hatch into young tarantulas, which molt several times as they grow. Molting continues throughout the life of the tarantula, although intervals between molts grow longer as tarantulas mature. Male tarantulas can be expected to survive up to seven years, while female specimens are capable of surviving up to 35 years.
