I for one will never challenge the position we hold on the evolutionary ladder, nor will I deny how it was achieved, I am just aware and ashamed of the way it currently manifests. Surely, we can not be proud of the fossils we will inevitably leave behind?

Anyway, one P fasciata died while making a foot print... Sad somehow...

I had a similar experience with my Hapalopus formosus female in December, she at least completed to roll up the egg case then went and sat on top of it and died. Incubating the eggs unfortunately did not yield any offspring. Very sad how a spider can give their last breath trying to reproduce.

Scarab wrote: We, as humans, have slid back so far into the so called "evolution" of mankind, I doubt we will EVER be able to recover. The stench and devastation we (as humans) have, and are still dispersing with concerning regularity throughout our own environment, is so sickening, it predominates even the most cataclysmic natural events of our own known short and insignificant history...

I couldn't agree with you more. I sometimes feel that Homo sapien is a disease, not a species in tune with it's natural surroundings.

@ Hendrijs and Scarab

What is the estimated life span of the Tarantula that died, and how old was it at the time?
This is just for interest sake.

I am not 100% sure of her age, but she was older than 5 years. I would guess that Poecilotheria have and average life expectancy of about 10 years in captivity but much less in the wild.

This particular female was very healthy and a good mother. It sounds like a contradiction because now she is dead, so obviously her health was not what I thought...

I am just wondering if our summer could have been the culprit.
A few cold days, suddenly a harsh scorching heatwave, a dry spell and then all of a sudden out of the blue it rains for days on end, even if the damn sun is shining?