Do you think tarantulas fart?

Pernicious

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
62
Well my a.metalica can poop across its tank and there is a sound soooo technically yes?
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
I woke up around 4am this morning with this question in my mind.o_O
Hey, if you're going to be up at 4 in the morning losing sleep over something, better a silly question like tarantula flatulence than wondering if that freckle on your butt cheek is cancerous, or if some natural disaster is waiting to strike.

However, for whatever it's worth, according to the book Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence by Nick Caruso and Dani Rabalotti (https://www.amazon.com/Does-Fart-Definitive-Animal-Flatulence/dp/0316484156) spiders might do it - more research is needed.

According to BBC Science Focus (https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/do-animals-fart/):

"Spider flatulence is an oddly understudied topic in scientific literature, but we can look to their digestive system for some clues. Spiders do the vast majority of digestion outside their body, injecting their prey with venom from their fangs before ejecting sputum, full of digestive enzymes, from their mouths, through the fang holes and into the body of their prey. They then wait whilst the digestive juices break down tissues inside the exoskeleton or, in some cases, skin of their prey. Spiders will then suck up the liquidy goodness into their mouths and stomachs, then they regurgitate it and eat it again."

"This happens a number of times, as spider digestive systems can only handle liquids – which means no lumps! It would seem likely that spiders ingest air during this process – one of the key elements needed for a fart. Once they have extracted all the nutrients, in an organ called the ceaca, the food passes to the stercoral sac, where the moisture is extracted before anything left over is excreted through the anus as waste. Since the stercoral sac contains bacteria, which helps break down the spider’s food, it seems likely that gas is produced during this process, and therefore there is certainly the possibility that spiders do fart. No work has been done to verify this to date, however, so the truth remains a mystery until urgently needed research funding is allocated."
 

Greasylake

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
1,324
"This happens a number of times, as spider digestive systems can only handle liquids – which means no lumps! It would seem likely that spiders ingest air during this process – one of the key elements needed for a fart. Once they have extracted all the nutrients, in an organ called the ceaca, the food passes to the stercoral sac, where the moisture is extracted before anything left over is excreted through the anus as waste. Since the stercoral sac contains bacteria, which helps break down the spider’s food, it seems likely that gas is produced during this process, and therefore there is certainly the possibility that spiders do fart. No work has been done to verify this to date, however, so the truth remains a mystery until urgently needed research funding is allocated."
I don't know if it's just me, but it sounds like they might be able to burp too.
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
I don't know if it's just me, but it sounds like they might be able to burp too.
Ooo... tarantulas might be capable of both farting and burping?!? Somebody better start writing grant proposals now! The scientific community needs to know!
 

Greasylake

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
1,324
Ooo... tarantulas might be capable of both farting and burping?!? Somebody better start writing grant proposals now! The scientific community needs to know!
Give me a couple years to finish my degree and I'll get right on that.
 

Potatatas

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
182
Tarantula Questions & Discussions This forum is for serious tarantula-related questions and discussions on science, care, breeding, and other topics with significant repercussions for the hobby.
I think this topic has serious repercussions for life in general, not just for the hobby. Arachnoboards, asking the serious questions since [insert year]
 

Tenebrarius

Arachnoangel
Joined
Sep 8, 2018
Messages
912
ladys dont fart is what ive been told so why would my lady Ts be doing so? it is against the laws of nature

if (lady)
{
cant fart
}
else
{
sure
}
 

HugsTaco

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 23, 2018
Messages
3
It took about three months before my girlfriend felt comfortable enough to fart around me, so maybe my little slings will take about as long? I hope they get to that level of comfort.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
I don't know, but earlier this week, my husband farted really loud near the tarantulas, and Squirt (my Psalmopoeus cambridgei) came running toward it.
 
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