Aggression and defensiveness

Hey everyone Im just curious about everybodys thoughts on the attitude of some t's. I just downloaded the Tarantulas app and was filling out all my t's info and under the Temperment category theres Aggressive and Defensive choices. Now I didnt think t's werent outright aggressive but after I purchased my sub adult E. murinus (properly named Psycho)my thoughts have changed. He struck at me the entire way home while inside his deli cup and was an awful mess trying to get him into his new home. Now when I purchased my mf H. vonwirthi (who has an attitude no doubt) she just huddled up, scared, and is fine when I do maintenance as long as I dont disturb her. Psycho on the other hand will rear up and strike when I look at him through the acrylic! I do believe that almost all t's are not aggressive but that some can be crazed and deranged like Psycho. I just want to know peoples opinions and thoughts. Thanks!

Tarantulas aren't aggressive. They're defensive. In some habitats the only way they can survive is to mount a quick and positive defense against intruders. There are some relentless predators in the world (mongeese, honey badgers, baboons, coatis, centipedes, etc), and sometimes tarantulas have a split second to defend themselves before they're eaten. Hesitation means instant death. Lacking the passive defense of urticating hairs, OW's will run, hide, or fight for their lives. Whatever works.

Tarantulas attack prey. They don't wander around looking for trouble & initiate fights if there's not a meal as an end result. Unwelcome intruders don't get a warm welcome. You leave their territory and there's no more problem. In captivity, that square foot of cage is all they have in the world. Some will defend it. To call that aggression is ignorance. We're the intruder, the invader; they're the defender.

I'm disappointed by an app that considers tarantulas aggressive.

So now we need a Tarantula "app" ? There isn't app for logic and common sense, i noticed.
Tarantulas aren't aggressive. They just defend their territory, unlike us.
NW T'S included as well.. try to mess too much in a "genic" enclosure in her bad day.

Poec54 said:

Tarantulas aren't aggressive. They're defensive. In some habitats the only way they can survive is to mount a quick and positive defense against intruders. There are some relentless predators in the world (mongeese, honey badgers, baboons, coatis, centipedes, etc), and sometimes tarantulas have a split second to defend themselves before they're eaten. Hesitation means instant death. Lacking the passive defense of urticating hairs, OW's will run, hide, or fight for their lives. Whatever works.

Tarantulas attack prey. They don't wander around looking for trouble & initiate fights if there's not a meal as an end result. Unwelcome intruders don't get a warm welcome. You leave their territory and there's no more problem. In captivity, that square foot of cage is all they have in the world. Some will defend it. To call that aggression is ignorance. We're the intruder, the invader; they're the defender.

I'm disappointed by an app that considers tarantulas aggressive.

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I agree completely with this ^ I wouldn't consider many tarantulas "Aggressive". Now if it runs out of the enclosure, charges at you all the way through your house attempting to get a piece of you that would be aggressive. But if the little guy simply feels like your imposing on his space and rears up and strikes during maintence or rehousing I'd say that definitely counts as defensive. Now if the little guy goes out of his way to invade your space and attack that's a whole 'nother story you know?

As far as attitude goes I think its more about the individual than the stereotype. I've had a crazy versicolor that I got threat postures from regularly. My E Murinus and H Mac are almost docile. I can do enclosure maintence and mess with them without a single threat pose. I guess creepy crawlies stereotypes are just like peoples. Do all white people love mayo? Do all black people from the south eat chitlins? Do all Hispanics have huge families? Do all Mormons wear the magic underwear? While these stereotypes are generally halfway right, there are exceptions to the rule. Its all about the individual man.

In regards to the tarantula app its actually pretty handy. You can keep track of feedings, molts, make notes on the individual tarantula. My memory is terrible, so I find it useful. Rather than needing "logic and common sense". Common sense is using whatever tools you have available to make things more manageable.

orionsXlight said:

In regards to the tarantula app its actually pretty handy. You can keep track of feedings, molts, make notes on the individual tarantula. My memory is terrible, so I find it useful. Rather than needing "logic and common sense". Common sense is using whatever tools you have available to make things more manageable.

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You can use pen and copy-book for that.

Chris LXXIX said:

You can use pen and copy-book for that.

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Whatever is most convienent for ya' bud. You try finding a pen or pencil in my house. Its like there's a gremlin here man. Makes the sock monster look like a small time thief. xD

When a tarantula runs across enclosure and sinks his fangs into your finger it is not aggressive it's hungry. When it stands its ground its defensive. I don't really see theme as aggressive.

Chris LXXIX said:

You can use pen and copy-book for that.

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:clap::clap:

I dont see them as aggressive either but my e. murinus is nuts! Youd have to see him

In the true sense of the word, tarantulas are NOT aggressive animals. I would agree with the majority of you. That being said, what I think is often the colloquial differentiation implied between aggressive/defensive in the T community is the group of tarantulas who will tend to run towards/after an intruder (i.e. "aggressive") and the group of tarantulas who wait until the intruder is within proximity/contact before biting (i.e. "defensive").

Obviously, there is no generality that can be applied to any one species although some may have developed a reputation for opting for one tactic over the other. Many OW terrestrials have been reported to "charge" at intruders rather than lie in wait before biting, for example, which is perhaps compensation for the lack of passive defense mechanisms such as urticating hairs.

The app certainly isn't using appropriate terms, but insofar as your options I suppose you could consider the above when defining "aggressive" vs. "defensive."

Chris11 said:

I dont see them as aggressive either but my e. murinus is nuts! Youd have to see him

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I have an A.eutylenum like this, so I get the surprise that comes when a T is that defensive. But it's still not aggression. His actions are still based in fear; fear that you're going to hurt or eat him and he's acting in the way he's hard-wired to handle such occurrences.

I'm curious: has he settled in at all? My E.murinus can be flighty and skittish, but as long as I allow her time to get to her burrow before I open her, she'll sit there calmly waiting for me to get out of her enclosure. The one time I didn't, she immediately flew at the opening lid.

It depends how you interpret it. True aggression is only a human concept, no creature in our world will attack you for no reason except for us.

But in the context of tarantula keeping, I'd interpret an aggressive tarantula as one who will tend to attack her aggressor as opposed to only try to scare him until she has absolutely no other choice.
You have to use simple words in an app and aggressive vs defensive is an easy way to describe behavior.
Not sure what other term I would use to describe the difference between one that you have to be more careful around and one that has lower risks.


As for pen and paper vs an app, you're most likely always carrying the app with you so you can check it or show the data to someone else easily. It's also easier to compare data or sort it with a computer than with pen and paper(not sure if it applies with the app though, I never used it), but paper is quicker to use so it all depends what you want to do with the data and if the downside of each is less than the upside for you.

Poec54 said:

Tarantulas aren't aggressive. They're defensive. In some habitats the only way they can survive is to mount a quick and positive defense against intruders. There are some relentless predators in the world (mongeese, honey badgers, baboons, coatis, centipedes, etc), and sometimes tarantulas have a split second to defend themselves before they're eaten. Hesitation means instant death. Lacking the passive defense of urticating hairs, OW's will run, hide, or fight for their lives. Whatever works.

Tarantulas attack prey. They don't wander around looking for trouble & initiate fights if there's not a meal as an end result. Unwelcome intruders don't get a warm welcome. You leave their territory and there's no more problem. In captivity, that square foot of cage is all they have in the world. Some will defend it. To call that aggression is ignorance. We're the intruder, the invader; they're the defender.

I'm disappointed by an app that considers tarantulas aggressive.

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I recall seeing a post of yours on another forum regarding S.calcaetum claiming that "They aren't defensive, they are Aggressive." I'm not going to say which forum, because I'm unsure if that's violating any forum rules. If I'm wrong I do apologize, I'm not meaning to call you out. However, supposing I am correct, what you're saying now really contradicts that post.

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Sam_Peanuts said:

It depends how you interpret it. True aggression is only a human concept, no creature in our world will attack you for no reason except for us.

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I'm not sure this is true, unless you're counting hunger as a reason here. Polar bears actively hunt humans. As do some individuals of some black bear and grizzly bear populations. As a whole we are easy prey when we're hiking or fishing in bear territory. We're slow, were soft, and lack natural defense. Ditto for Cougars.

Belle Fury said:

I have an A.eutylenum like this, so I get the surprise that comes when a T is that defensive. But it's still not aggression. His actions are still based in fear; fear that you're going to hurt or eat him and he's acting in the he's hard-wired to handle such occurrences.

I'm curious: has he settled in at all? My E.murinus can be flighty and skittish, but as long as I allow her time to get to her burrow before I open her, she'll sit there calmly waiting for me to get out of her enclosure. The one time I didn't, she immediately flew at the opening lid.

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Hes always in his burrow except when he feels a cricket or roach hit the substrate lol his burrow goes to the bottom of about 7 inches of strate right in a corner against the acrylic so hes always visible. I dont consider him "aggressive" in the sense he actively wants to kill me when he sees me, hes just not afraid to charge if he feels he should... aggressive defensiveness I suppose lol

ratluvr76 said:

I'm not sure this is true, unless you're counting hunger as a reason here. Polar bears actively hunt humans. As do some individuals of some black bear and grizzly bear populations. As a whole we are easy prey when we're hiking or fishing in bear territory. We're slow, were soft, and lack natural defense. Ditto for Cougars.

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Of course I count hunger as a reason, eating is pretty much the main reason something will kill another thing. They see us as a prey so it's normal that they'll want to attack us or anything else or they wouldn't eat. It's the same for a tarantula and crickets.