Ever seen a swimming tarantula ? Look at this video.

Dutcharachno

Arachnopeon
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[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-13XbRKyzyQ[/YOUTUBE]

This Lasiodora parahybana was recorded while it was crossing a dam, in Lagoa de Roça - PB, Brazil.:clap:
 
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Shagrath666

Arachnobaron
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no video here either, but i wonder, wouldn't a swimming T get his/her book lungs wet and drown?
 

Annie3Ponies

Arachnoknight
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Looks like his little boxing gloves are all loaded up, too - must be some hot little honey on the other side of the river!
 

Skullptor

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Looks like his little boxing gloves are all loaded up, too - must be some hot little honey on the other side of the river!
LOL. That would have made a great video to follow him a little longer to see that prophecy fulfilled!
 

arrowhd

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Wow, what guys will do for love. I didn't know they could do that.
 

crpy

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There might be a layer of air over the book lungs to allow temporary breathing much like Dolomedes and Argyroneta aquatica spiders, although A. aquatica forms a bubble.

It would be interesting to get a ventral shot of a swimming T to see if there is in fact a layer of air. I would not think it would last long and the T would drown after a few minutes simply because of the Ts mass. imo.
 

Paramite

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http://www.spiderpix.com/articles/hysterocrates-diving.htm

There you go.

I think this pretty much proves the whole "your T will drown if the waterdish is too big" talk to be bullshit. Of course there are differences between species, but personally I've seen my T. blondi fall into water (the booklungs were underwater) and she just walked away like nothing ever happened...
 

kylecchh

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Found another video of a lassie taking a swim, although it looks like it wants to come out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbTUwaw9lJw&feature=related
So technically they can swim, but it looks like it depends on the tarantula. I wonder how long they would be able to stay in the water. That would be cool if someone setup a aquatic turtle-like cage with a tarantula. Have a floating piece of land and give it the option to swim around. I wonder if it would take a small goldfish :eek:
 

Shagrath666

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It's possible because the spider is light enough and doesn't break the surface tension of the water. So their abdomen never gets submerged in the water.
thats what it looks like to me now that i've seen the vid. The legs obviously are taking full advantage of the surface tension, no reason to think that the abdomen and book lungs aren't doing the same. pretty epic music btw, kinda ridiculous.
 

Paramite

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Yeah, I've seen many of those. The thing is, that probably wasn't the primary cause of death, or the behaviour which caused it in the first place.
 

clam1991

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Yeah, I've seen many of those. The thing is, that probably wasn't the primary cause of death, or the behaviour which caused it in the first place.
agreed
if a tarantula could drown in a water dish how would ts survive in the wild with those o so dangerous puddlez;P
 
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