- Joined
- Oct 23, 2007
- Messages
- 1,145
So a few observations, one has no pictures, while the other has a dark video.
First is the behavior of the group when a large tarantula molts. I didn't notice it before since I wasn't aware of which tarantula was molting. Either way in the group of 4 large tarantulas I noticed the smallest one webbed up the entrance to the burrow they use. I suspected the smaller one was about to molt. A couple days later when the web was brought down I checked the burrow and discovered one of the larger ones had molted and not the smaller one that was doing the webbing. Could this be a sign of mutual survival and protection? I'll try to document it if it happens again.
Next, I've never seen this behavior before in any of my arachnids. I know some species will wrap up half eaten meals for later so I found this behavior interesting. The smaller one again I discovered was out and about. She had collected a large number of uneaten prey items. Probably a bundle of 4 or 5 she had softened up and placed into a pile. She continued to circle around it and web it up. As soon as I grabbed the flashlight and camera she became agitated and protective of the food bundle and picked it up while facing me. If I left her alone she continued her wrapping. Finally once done wrapping up the bundle of feeder items she took them back to the burrow. I will try to check on them later and see if any of the other tarantulas feed on this bundle she brought back with her.
Here is the quick video of her wrapping the items before becoming agitated and picking it up. It's quite dark, I tried to brighten it up a bit, but that did not work as well as I hoped.
First is the behavior of the group when a large tarantula molts. I didn't notice it before since I wasn't aware of which tarantula was molting. Either way in the group of 4 large tarantulas I noticed the smallest one webbed up the entrance to the burrow they use. I suspected the smaller one was about to molt. A couple days later when the web was brought down I checked the burrow and discovered one of the larger ones had molted and not the smaller one that was doing the webbing. Could this be a sign of mutual survival and protection? I'll try to document it if it happens again.
Next, I've never seen this behavior before in any of my arachnids. I know some species will wrap up half eaten meals for later so I found this behavior interesting. The smaller one again I discovered was out and about. She had collected a large number of uneaten prey items. Probably a bundle of 4 or 5 she had softened up and placed into a pile. She continued to circle around it and web it up. As soon as I grabbed the flashlight and camera she became agitated and protective of the food bundle and picked it up while facing me. If I left her alone she continued her wrapping. Finally once done wrapping up the bundle of feeder items she took them back to the burrow. I will try to check on them later and see if any of the other tarantulas feed on this bundle she brought back with her.
Here is the quick video of her wrapping the items before becoming agitated and picking it up. It's quite dark, I tried to brighten it up a bit, but that did not work as well as I hoped.