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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Josh's Frogs" data-source="post: 236819" data-attributes="member: 49228">Sexual Dimorphism in Tarantulas. Sexual Dimorphism is when the different sexes of a species are shaped and/or colored differently. In tarantulas, this tends not to be apparent until they mature. Immature tarantulas can be infamously difficult to determine their sex. Once they mature, and their body changes occur, it is much easier to tell at a glance. Here we have a male and a female Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula (Monocentropus balfouri). Besides physical differences like the long, spindly legs, the tibial hooks, and the emboli at then end of their pedipalps become easily evident on a mature male. The females will grow much larger and robust. In this species, there is also a color difference. Females tend to have a light teal carapace. Males, meanwhile, will begin to develop a much darker blue crapace several molts before they mature. By the time that they mature, their carapace and legs will have turned a deep cobalt blue. Either way, these are both gorgeous spiders!  [ATTACH=full]75394[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]75395[/ATTACH]</blockquote>