Fascinating Tarantula Behavior

[Nephrite]

Some tarantulas behave in this manner in self defense. Since she thinks that the paintbrush is a predator, she’s pushing her abdomen towards it in hopes that her urticating hairs will brush off toward the attacker.

I’ve witnessed similar behavior in my Avicularia juruensis M2 as well, albeit, a lot less aggressive than this specimen; she sort of sways her abdomen in the direction of the paintbrush.

This execution of self defense, essentially is just another way that new world tarantulas are able to release their urticating hairs.

Just wanted to share, amazing stuff!

 

[Vanessa]

How they share them with you is dependent on what type they have and where they're located. You might find the below interesting.

Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy

Tarantula urticating setae are modified setae located on the abdomen or pedipalps, which represent an effective defensive mechanism against vertebrate or invertebrate predators and intruders. They are also useful taxonomic tools as morphological characters facilitating the classification of New...

journals.plos.org

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I recall we had someone with an Avic who was adamant that their spider wanted to be petted since she was rubbing her abdomen on their fingers. It's a very interesting way of getting haired, that's for sure.