This beautiful little spider is a PUMPKIN PATCH TARANTULA (Hapalopus formosus), a dwarf tarantula species which in the wild is found in the rainforests of Colombia in South America.

Amazingly this particular tarantula was rescued from an Oxfordshire supermarket by a local pest controller, having arrived in a crate of bananas transported all the way from Colombia! The wife of the pest controller works at one of the many local schools at which I am a regular visitor and so it was offered to me – a fabulous gift to receive. Her daughter had named it Bumpkin whilst it was at their home, so I agreed to keep the name! However, Bumpkin was not in good condition at all and I wasn’t sure they would survive. They only had five legs on arrival, having probably lost the other three during their long journey. Here is how Bumpkin looked on the day I received them:

Amazingly, when spiders moult (replace their old exoskeleton) they are able to re-grow lost limbs. Bumpkin moulted for the first time just a few weeks after I received them, in November 2024, and grew back all three lost limbs at the same time! Here is Bumpkin having just moulted, with the old empty exoskeleton on the right-hand side of the picture:

If you compare the before and after moulting pictures below, you can clearly see which legs re-grew as they simply weren’t there before. It’s also clear to see how much fresher and brighter Bumpkin’s colour and pattern are after moulting! Following this first moult the three new legs were slightly thinner than the other five, but all were able to be used for walking. 

Bumpkin moulted for a second time in mid-January 2025 and following this second moult it is almost impossible to tell which legs were initially missing, as all eight now look pretty much identical! This picture was taken post-moult:

Here is Bumpkin’s empty moulted exoskeleton (exuvia) following the January 2025 moult, looking just like the real thing other than the shrivelled-up abdomen!