Are Tarantulas intelligent?

[fscorpion]

No matter how I love invertebrates, speaking about intelligence in this group has no meaning at all!
Actually the terms "intelligent" and "stupid "are terms that humans invented for other humans, so some individuals could be separated from others by using this metric system. So, humans treat intelligence as a quality and use it to show their superiority to other individuals, like: "I am smarter than you-I am a better person". I don't think this concept could be applied to tarantulas, because in their case "intelligence" should be measured between individuals of the same species, and there is no metric system for that (there isn't a real metric system even for humans-IQ tests!? lol... )
Measuring "intelligence" between a dog and a tarantulas has even less sense...
Tarantulas are simple animals, their brain is a simple ganglion not bigger than a pinhead. They have adapted to their environment in order to survive and that brain was enough for them. Other animals weren't such good predators and had to adapt in other ways.
So, I think this whole concept has no sense at all, but at the end, people like to think different things, especially the ones that make them feel better. So, you hear many stories, "my cat saved my life" "My fish loves me" "my tarantula is different, she can feel things" and so on...
My opinion is that tarantulas are fascinating creatures, interesting to watch in both their natural and captive environments...but are they "intelligent"? I don't care, I like them how they are...

 

[fscorpion]

There arn't enough threads on this subject, right? Well, why not . . .

One who has kept, raised, observed, traded and collected tarantulas as I have done for many years gains a real sense for these animals. I have also had the oportunity to observe and interact with our native wild tarantulas, Aphonopema hentzi for a number seasons as well. Yes, one gains a knowlege of proper care of these animals, but also an ability to identify various moods and body language, as many will attest to. Now I am not pretending to bestow true problem solving intelligence here, but I am saying that those who claim to know for a fact that these animals are blind, dumb and instinctual automatans may not be giving enough credit.

Some seem 'brighter' (or at least more interested in interacting) than others. For example, I have a B. smithy who is able to catch tossed crix in midair, a feat requiring some decent vision and coordination, not to mention the ability to quickly differentiate between feeding time and being picked up.
My L. difficilus, who is normally very nervous and flicky, decided that she was going to walk up the side of her container and into my offered, open hand for no appearent reason, totally out of character. Mood? You be the judge.
Occasionally a wild A. hentzi, after being coaxed out of her hole will actually climb right into an offered hand. I had one, one time, emerge from her hole and tap my offered hand and sit there staring at me as if waiting for a resonse. When I didn't move it, she slowly went back down. The 'message' I came away with at the time was 'I don't see you as a threat, but I don't want to be disturbed'. Is it possible that this was simply some ingraned, instinctual auto response? Sure, but it hasn't happened before or since quite that way.

I'm sure I can think of more examples of what I'm talking about, but this was just off the top of my head.

Yes, you are right, it is interesting to observe animals and with time people learn to read their body language. It's like listening to a language that you do not understand and after some time you start to getting the point and the person who was talking suddenly becomes more close and familiar to you. It happens with all the animals, they are all fascinating and interesing, they all have something to say and only shallow people will take their actions for granted and planned. You have to learn about everything before being able to come to a conclusion, something we humans don't like to do...:?

 

[Ewok]

hmm I don't know about tarantulas being stupid, I saw one of my usambaras working on a geometry problem before

 

[Ewok]

I think a good way to put it is that tarntulas have "instinct smarts".

 

[Thoth]

Sometimes, I think they are smarter than their owners, exploiting the owners stupidity.

 

[fscorpion]

Sometimes, I think they are smarter than their owners, exploiting the owners stupidity.

Do they have a choice?

 

[JayMadison]

I'm new to the hobby, so I'm curious about the intelligence issue as well, I have noticed some learned behaviors, and certainly reactions to changes in the environment. As time goes on it will be intersting to see if the T's learn my routines or not.

 

[jonnyquong]

I always get a laugh out of these type of questions. Intelligence... based on WHAT? Based on what WE consider intelligent?:wall: WE'RE INTELLIGENT? LMAO

 

[synyster]

I'm new to the hobby, so I'm curious about the intelligence issue as well, I have noticed some learned behaviors, and certainly reactions to changes in the environment. As time goes on it will be intersting to see if the T's learn my routines or not.

No it will not learn the "routines". Reactions to changes are normal as it adapts itself. It relies on basic instincs to survive. A spider is not intelligent.

There is a thread that went on above your post about this or another that is still going on HERE

 

[Querx]

It really depends on what your definition of intelligence is. I've seen behaviour in my Ts that I would consider quite intelligent for example: the use of moss for an entrance to a hide.

Also, the next time you feed your tarantula, notice how it usually lays down some web in the exact spot where the food was caught. I can only imagine that the tarantula has reasoned that since its prey came along in that spot, then there is a chance more prey may do the same. If they do lay web for this reason, then we know that the tarantula can make predictions about the future and act accordingly which, to me, seems rather intelligent.

It's just a theory at the end of the day and if anyone knows of a different reason why they lay web in the spot where prey was caught, please tell me because this behaviour has interested me since I started the hobby

 

[ArkGullwing]

The debate rages on! :3 Here's a pretty cool video of one clever specimen in particular...

[video=youtube;QYwSt2uxmCs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYwSt2uxmCs&feature=related[/video]

 

[AmbushArachnids]

When i think about spiders "intelligence" i think intelligent design. Thats very similar to what most call instinct. Just a different idea of how they came about. They are built to survive in their natural habitat. Nothing more imo.

 

[Jonathan Stewart]

I regard this as a learned behavior but adaptability and learned behaviors show a degree of intelligence this video may very well be fake but my Rose hair can tell when I'm about to interact vs just dropping a dubia in the cage and quite frankly after me handling her to frequently when I first got her she showed a change in temperament she now gets defensive while before she would curl her legs covering her face when one tactic didn't work she wrote that off and changed tactics no longer covers skips that and right into defensive mode definitely a learned behavior and that shows a degree of intelligence not much but it's something

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I regard this as a learned behavior but adaptability and learned behaviors show a degree of intelligence this video may very well be fake but my Rose hair can tell when I'm about to interact vs just dropping a dubia in the cage and quite frankly after me handling her to frequently when I first got her she showed a change in temperament she now gets defensive while before she would curl her legs covering her face when one tactic didn't work she wrote that off and changed tactics no longer covers skips that and right into defensive mode definitely a learned behavior and that shows a degree of intelligence not much but it's something

You are Number One, my man

I have nothing else truly helpful to add to your compendium but let me notice that, maybe with a comma, legibility would had better

Needless to say, you earned a follower!

 

[miss moxie]

You are Number One, my man

I have nothing else truly helpful to add to your compendium but let me notice that, maybe with a comma, legibility would had better

Needless to say, you earned a follower!

A couple commas and a few periods really.

The writer in me cringed.

 

[Jonathan Stewart]

I agree, I come from a generation that abandoned sentence structure as a means to text faster. It does leave room for confusion.

You are Number One, my man

I have nothing else truly helpful to add to your compendium but let me notice that, maybe with a comma, legibility would had better

Needless to say, you earned a follower!

 

[Realevil1]

Wow. A thread from over 10 years ago that keeps getting bumped. haha.

imo I wouldn't call "Intelligence" a trait that inverts possess. Rather behavior or learned behavior if anything.

 

[Icculus]

You are Number One, my man

I have nothing else truly helpful to add to your compendium but let me notice that, maybe with a comma, legibility would had better

Needless to say, you earned a follower!

I'm able to play word of the day with two of my t's now and a third making great progress.

But I have wondered. They all know their way around their enclosures. If they just run on instinct how do they know where they are going?

 

[Jonathan Stewart]

I'm able to play word of the day with two of my t's now and a third making great progress.

But I have wondered. They all know their way around their enclosures. If they just run on instinct how do they know where they are going?

That I'm not sure if they know I have a T about 2 inch leg span in a 10 gallon waiting to transfer into a much smaller enclosure she doesn't seem to care for the hide or water bowl n chills on a deserted end I'm gonna buy a splitter black it out and slap a obt on other side I think but she seems largely unaware that there is more in that tank to offer

 

[Leila]

That I'm not sure if they know I have a T about 2 inch leg span in a 10 gallon waiting to transfer into a much smaller enclosure she doesn't seem to care for the hide or water bowl n chills on a deserted end I'm gonna buy a splitter black it out and slap a obt on other side I think but she seems largely unaware that there is more in that tank to offer

Dude. Commas and periods are our friends...
(sorry, sorry..it has already been addressed.)