Tarantula Madness

[Green_Elite_Cab]

But does it like trains??

I haven't determined this yet, but I HAVE heard of them playing with ping pong balls, as well as constantly rearranging their own cages.

I wonder if left alone, it would push boxcars up and down some tracks? Then again, I might need a slightly bigger spider. This one is really on the lean end for a tarantula.

interesting. Does this spider also use it's hairs as a defence mechanism? I read some species rub their legs together to stir up hairs in the air that irritate the skin and airways?

Yes and no. It DOES have them, but this species tends not to use them, and they don't effect humans. In fact, this is one of the more docile species out there. Even the bites are usually more about holding on (kinda how a cat digs its claws into you when it jumps off your lap), and are very rare. "wet" bites where venom is injected almost never happens, and the venom is weak.

This species only other known defense mechanism is a "poop cannon", but I have never witnessed this. Apparently they can be fairly accurate.

Generally speaking, just about all tarantulas from the "New World" (North and South America) have those "Urticating bristles", but there are several different types of these bristles, and different species have different configurations and combinations of these types. It is thought because of this, many (but not all) New World Tarantulas tend to be laid back and docile.

Technically, these aren't hairs, but projections of their exoskeleton (hence the term bristle). Its really neat under a microscope!

Incidentally, it is suspected that "Old World" tarantulas (From Africa and Asia) are far more aggressive and "actively defensive" because they only have their fangs and their venom.

I'm thinking GEC may succumb to a desire to make his own version of a a 50's or 60's B horror movie;

The Giant Tarantula that Attacked the North East Corridor.

Commuter Mayhem.

Run for your lives before the giant spider gets you!

Well at the very least GEC, could you take a few photos of his pet tarantula menacing his commuter cars on your layout, you know just for laughs.
You could even send the results through to MR.
Mark

Oh, I thought about it, but this one is WAY too quick. It moves super slow 99.999% of the time, but when it feels like it, it can actually run very fast. that thing will dissappear into my basement and never be seen again. It could probably make a living off the camel (cave) crickets for a little while.

Also right now I suspect it of being in "pre-molt", so now isn't the best time to play with it.

In truth, even though these are some of the more "handleable" spiders, I probably shouldn't bother it too much even if I wanted to.