Arachnid
Hardy beginner pick with simple care. Pair with the matched habitat kit and the printable care guide.
Looks like a movie monster. Is completely harmless.
Phrynus marginemaculatus, the Florida Tailless Whip Spider, is not a spider. Or a scorpion. It is an amblypygid: a flat, sideways-scuttling arachnid with two raptorial pedipalps that snap shut on prey, and a pair of impossibly long, antenna-like “whip” legs that feel the world ahead of it. It looks like something that crawled out of a sci-fi set.
And the headline: amblypygids have no venom and no silk. They are one hundred percent theatrics and zero danger, calm enough that a patient keeper can let one walk onto a hand. Native to Florida and the Caribbean, communal if you give them vertical cork and enough food, and hands-down one of the best “wow, what IS that” animals you can put in front of someone. A tall enclosure with a couple of cork slabs and a few of these is one of the coolest displays you will ever build.
The numbers live in the care guide. Enclosure size, temps, humidity, feeding schedule, premolt signs, handling boundaries: it's all in the care guide for this exact fella. Start with the full Advanced guide, or click for the quick Open the Simple version →
Damon spp. - Spice 2–3 — Beginner / Intermediate. Baby Buddy for tiny juveniles; Bark Buddy for small to mid-size specimens; Tall humid custom enclosure for adults
Damon spp.
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A dramatic but non-venomous amblypygid that needs vertical cork, humidity, and gentle no-grab maintenance. The danger is broken legs and bad molts, not aggression.
| Temp | 75–82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate–High (70-85%) |
| Setup | Humid vertical amblypygid setup |
| Substrate | Moist substrate with tall cork slabs and leaf litter |
| Feeding | Small roaches/crickets weekly or every 10 days |
| Handling | Not recommended; harmless but delicate |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Current Big Z's catalog: No
Damon spp.
Keeper Snapshot: A dramatic but non-venomous amblypygid that needs vertical cork, humidity, and gentle no-grab maintenance. The danger is broken legs and bad molts, not aggression.
| Temperature | 75–82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate–High (70-85%) |
| Setup Type | Humid vertical amblypygid setup |
| Substrate | Moist substrate with tall cork slabs and leaf litter |
| Feeding | Small roaches/crickets weekly or every 10 days |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2–3 — Beginner / Intermediate |
| Handling | Not recommended; harmless but delicate |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Looks like a movie monster. Is completely harmless.
Phrynus marginemaculatus, the Florida Tailless Whip Spider, is not a spider. Or a scorpion. It is an amblypygid: a flat, sideways-scuttling arachnid with two raptorial pedipalps that snap shut on prey, and a pair of impossibly long, antenna-like “whip” legs that feel the world ahead of it. It looks like something that crawled out of a sci-fi set.
And the headline: amblypygids have no venom and no silk. They are one hundred percent theatrics and zero danger, calm enough that a patient keeper can let one walk onto a hand. Native to Florida and the Caribbean, communal if you give them vertical cork and enough food, and hands-down one of the best “wow, what IS that” animals you can put in front of someone. A tall enclosure with a couple of cork slabs and a few of these is one of the coolest displays you will ever build.
The numbers live in the care guide. Enclosure size, temps, humidity, feeding schedule, premolt signs, handling boundaries: it's all in the care guide for this exact fella. Start with the full Advanced guide, or click for the quick Open the Simple version →
Damon spp. - Spice 2–3 — Beginner / Intermediate. Baby Buddy for tiny juveniles; Bark Buddy for small to mid-size specimens; Tall humid custom enclosure for adults
Damon spp.
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A dramatic but non-venomous amblypygid that needs vertical cork, humidity, and gentle no-grab maintenance. The danger is broken legs and bad molts, not aggression.
| Temp | 75–82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate–High (70-85%) |
| Setup | Humid vertical amblypygid setup |
| Substrate | Moist substrate with tall cork slabs and leaf litter |
| Feeding | Small roaches/crickets weekly or every 10 days |
| Handling | Not recommended; harmless but delicate |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Current Big Z's catalog: No
Damon spp.
Keeper Snapshot: A dramatic but non-venomous amblypygid that needs vertical cork, humidity, and gentle no-grab maintenance. The danger is broken legs and bad molts, not aggression.
| Temperature | 75–82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate–High (70-85%) |
| Setup Type | Humid vertical amblypygid setup |
| Substrate | Moist substrate with tall cork slabs and leaf litter |
| Feeding | Small roaches/crickets weekly or every 10 days |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2–3 — Beginner / Intermediate |
| Handling | Not recommended; harmless but delicate |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
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