crazy T question!

arachnobint

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Messages
38
i just had a wierd thought, how do tarantulas know where to find water? how do they know to get back to the water in their homes if they can only tell light from dark and such?
 

Bill S

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
1,418
i just had a wierd thought, how do tarantulas know where to find water? how do they know to get back to the water in their homes if they can only tell light from dark and such?
Their sensory abilities go way beyond just light and dark. As for finding water - they've got chemosensory structures in their legs that probably recognize moisture. There are also places on their legs where the exoskeleton has tiny openings with lots of nerve endings, probably also as sensory devices.
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
5,438
Like dogs but different, they can smell/chemo-sense things we couldn't even imagine. They sense even the tiniest humidity changes that would indicate water having been added to their environment, among other things.
 

newspidermom

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
57
I agree with saying they can sense moisture and I also think they seem to "learn" their surroundings. That's a good reason for keeping enclosure not too big...3-5 times their leg span I think is what is suggested. Usually when you put a T into a new enclosure you might notice they are active and moving around until they finally settle in. I think this is their way of familiarizing themselves to where things are at. For example..my B. Emilia likes to hang out on top of her coconut hide. When she is down on the substrate and I happen to reach in she makes a b-line to the top of that coconut no matter which way she was facing. She knew right where it was.
 

jbm150

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
1,650
I'm not even sure how much they "learn" their surroundings. I think more than anything, they use their webbing to find their way around. And even then, its a stretch (I've seen too many Ts that get lost in their own home lol)
 

hassman789

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
576
Yeah I agree with the sensing humidity and such. when I refilled the water bowl of my B. albopilosum, she was sitting next to it, and as I poured the water in. she had climbed in for a drink, right in front of me!
 
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