Spinnerettes

[ReMoVeR]

Is there any meaning when ur T is resting with the spinnerettes up, or just straight ? I think i saw my T in some different ways of spinnerettes position when just simply "freeze" for some time. i always found an interesting thing on wikipedia:"The discovery of spinnerets on the feet of the Aphonopelma seemanni has led to questions about the origins of spinnerets. It has been hypothesised that spinnerets were originally used as climbing aids on the feet and evolved for webmaking at a later time."

I would also like to know how does it produce silk, i've observed my own T webbing put i cant manage to see how does it works. Some pics or explanation ?

Tkz in advance,

//Tiago

[c'est ma]

An interesting popular article about the silk/foot discovery:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...tula-silk.html

IME T's web much more than we often notice. Eventually, much of the cage of many species is webbed together with invisible threads...I've wondered if some of these serve as triplines to detect prey...

--Diane

[ReMoVeR]

i actually can see(barely) with my flashlight some little webs around my Ts enclosure, some of them almost go from one side to the other, and some spots have some more silk that is almost invisible but u can actually see it just like the others. i guess those spots are like "prefered" spots. This happened while my T had her web destroyed unfortunatly by me. i havent had it for that long so... right now i bet she is in pre.molt as she is 2" and it started to get as much inactive as i couldnt imagine.

[c'est ma]

Oh, yeah--flashlights help a lot in seeing the webbing. Not to mention flashbulbs...which tend to highlight the otherwise unnoticed webbing on the front pane of the cage so that the camera focuses on it & not the spider!

In a large enough cage, I suspect the webbing also serves as "trails" to, as you put it, preferred spots.

I agree with you that this is a fascinating aspect of T biology. I love to watch the spinnerets at work during the "I-caught-a-cricket" dance.

[ReMoVeR]

still didnt watch it unfortunatly(?) my T hadnt eat, but will =) no rush. Molt first

"One explanation may be the relative weight of tarantulas when compared to other spiders, Gorb says.

Tarantulas weigh on average 0.18 to 0.25 ounce (5 to 7 grams). The next largest spiders are only about 0.07 ounce (2 grams).

Vollrath says that the zebra tarantulas may need the foot spinnerets to navigate their native rain forest habitat in Costa Rica, which can include large, slippery leaves.

"Protein is not cheap," he said, referring to the fact that spider silk is made of proteins.

"Even if you use very little, it still costs energy, and energy is the animals' money … So why put it in the feet unless you really need it?"" From that article. =)

I found almost everything that a T does an amazing thing to know, but its just bad to have a lack of studies on them :\

[c'est ma]

I certainly agree with you!

Are you aware of this thread?:

http://www.atshq.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13140

--Diane

[ReMoVeR]

im new around and i was searchin and found a page that was refering to that thread but it wouldnt open ill be readin it in a few minutes xD

i guess not so many ppl have this interest in commun i guess xD lol

(or just dont want to reply)