Is tarantula coloration effected by diet?

[Arachnopotamus Rex]

All I could find online elsewhere was people saying:
1. Bright colorful versions of each species in photos are color edited photos (this seems contradicted by live video in some cases?)
2. The male (or female) is more colorful than the opposite sex.
3. They are more colorful just after a molt or when younger, and become muted in color with age.

I suppose this would also be species specific, so in that regard, the spiders in question that sparked this thought are an adult female m. balfouri who's legs are greyish black with a silver sheen instead of the normally pictured metallic blue, and an adult female quezon blue's legs being dark chocolate brown with purple hairs instead of the usually pictured dusty blue.

Not that it bothers me (they are both gorgeous spiders), it just peaks my interest from a scientific perspective.

My thought was maybe diet or genetic variance if not the 3 above reasons? Or maybe its just the lighting? (I don't have a professional lighting setup)
Can any experts chime in? I'd love to know the truth on this topic (especially if it is diet related and i can tell nutrition success by color because of it, but either way its interesting).

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[viper69]

No- Ts have no color pigments. Rather than tell you, google it- come back and educate the forum.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

All I could find online elsewhere was people saying:
1. Bright colorful versions of each species in photos are color edited photos (this seems contradicted by live video in some cases?)
2. The male (or female) is more colorful than the opposite sex.
3. They are more colorful just after a molt or when younger, and become muted in color with age.

I suppose this would also be species specific, so in that regard, the spiders in question that sparked this thought are an adult female m. balfouri who's legs are greyish black with a silver sheen instead of the normally pictured metallic blue, and an adult female quezon blue's legs being dark chocolate brown with purple hairs instead of the usually pictured dusty blue.

Not that it bothers me (they are both gorgeous spiders), it just peaks my interest from a scientific perspective.

My thought was maybe diet or genetic variance if not the 3 above reasons? Or maybe its just the lighting? (I don't have a professional lighting setup)
Can any experts chime in? I'd love to know the truth on this topic (especially if it is diet related and i can tell nutrition success by color because of it, but either way its interesting).

Thanks ahead of time.

I think you’re mistaking Ts for birds and stuff. No . But I’d like to know the answer I’d say same thing as @viper69 find answer and report back I’d like to know .

 

[Spifdar]

I don't know about diet vs color, but I can address some of the other points! I do some digital art on the side and I can say lighting will likely have a lot to do with it, as you suspect. Tarantula hairs in particular seem to be either translucent or reflective--not sure which--and bright lights of different colors and angles can make it hard to even judge the color of the tarantula from a photo. It's just something I've noticed as a newbie looking over different species--even different photos of the same animal can look very different from different angles and lighting.

Like you I've seen that maturity also matters, so does sex, and if they're near a molt etc. Some species have color variations too. You mentioned M. balfouri and I believe I've read that mature adults lose a lot of the blue so that might have something to do with the differences you were seeing.

Going back to digital art experience--if you're thinking that an image has had its saturation changed, a dead giveaway is usually the rest of the picture. People usually, if they're inexperienced, will up the saturation on the entire image instead of just the subject in their attempts to be deceptive (or artistic without realizing it's deceptive). So look at the rest of the photo; if the dirt looks weirdly intense, or the grass is deep neon green like a bunch of emeralds in grass shape, it's probably edited

 

[Arachnopotamus Rex]

I think you’re mistaking Ts for birds and stuff. No . But I’d like to know the answer I’d say same thing as @viper69 find answer and report back I’d like to know .

I did actually know that certain birds often have coloration changes based on foods, but this was just me trying to incorporate all possible reasons when not knowing what the reason was.
Also I cant actually see Viper's post, I blocked a few people for rude behavior a while back, I guess he was one of them *shrugs". Anyway yes if I do get lucky enough to find out anything else outside of this thread, I'll be sure to mention it.

I don't know about diet vs color, but I can address some of the other points! I do some digital art on the side and I can say lighting will likely have a lot to do with it, as you suspect. Tarantula hairs in particular seem to be either translucent or reflective--not sure which--and bright lights of different colors and angles can make it hard to even judge the color of the tarantula from a photo. It's just something I've noticed as a newbie looking over different species--even different photos of the same animal can look very different from different angles and lighting.

Like you I've seen that maturity also matters, so does sex, and if they're near a molt etc. Some species have color variations too. You mentioned M. balfouri and I believe I've read that mature adults lose a lot of the blue so that might have something to do with the differences you were seeing.

Going back to digital art experience--if you're thinking that an image has had its saturation changed, a dead giveaway is usually the rest of the picture. People usually, if they're inexperienced, will up the saturation on the entire image instead of just the subject in their attempts to be deceptive (or artistic without realizing it's deceptive). So look at the rest of the photo; if the dirt looks weirdly intense, or the grass is deep neon green like a bunch of emeralds in grass shape, it's probably edited

Ah ok, so a mix of things, that makes sense. I do wonder why Ts lose color over time though, like biologically whats going on inside them? Hmm. more research I guess.
Interesting that so far no one knows about the food effecting color, I figured this would be an established bit of data in the hobby but perhaps its not. Glad I asked, maybe it can become a topic of study if no one knows yet?

 

[Mustafa67]

All I could find online elsewhere was people saying:
1. Bright colorful versions of each species in photos are color edited photos (this seems contradicted by live video in some cases?)
2. The male (or female) is more colorful than the opposite sex.
3. They are more colorful just after a molt or when younger, and become muted in color with age.

I suppose this would also be species specific, so in that regard, the spiders in question that sparked this thought are an adult female m. balfouri who's legs are greyish black with a silver sheen instead of the normally pictured metallic blue, and an adult female quezon blue's legs being dark chocolate brown with purple hairs instead of the usually pictured dusty blue.

Not that it bothers me (they are both gorgeous spiders), it just peaks my interest from a scientific perspective.

My thought was maybe diet or genetic variance if not the 3 above reasons? Or maybe its just the lighting? (I don't have a professional lighting setup)
Can any experts chime in? I'd love to know the truth on this topic (especially if it is diet related and i can tell nutrition success by color because of it, but either way its interesting).

Thanks ahead of time.

No

 

[Gevo]

I'm a bit confused about the food-affecting-colour angle. Isn't that a phenomenon that's pretty specific in nature, like flamingos and salmon getting their pink colour from algae and crustaceans with high carotenoid content?

Keep in mind too that most tarantula species are opportunistic predators. While we don't really have a lot of nutritional science to go off with them, I think it stands to reason that by and large, tarantula species wouldn't be able to afford to make their unique colouration contingent on a specialized diet.

A lot of animals get duller in colour as they age. I wouldn't think tarantula hairs work like mammalian hairs that way, but it could also be as simple as there being longer periods between molts as they get older, and we know they look more drab the more time that passes after a molt.

Happy researching--let us know what you find!

 

[Arachnopotamus Rex]

Keep in mind too that most tarantula species are opportunistic predators. While we don't really have a lot of nutritional science to go off with them, I think it stands to reason that by and large, tarantula species wouldn't be able to afford to make their unique colouration contingent on a specialized diet.

I figured individuals in the wild might also have color variation within a species and that it might be related to overall food quantity/quality, such as x amount of fat, water, proteins, etc. (rather than being the result of specific prey).

But thats a valid point either way, thus far I can only think of instances where it is actually specific food related.

 

[goofyGoober99]

I'm pretty sure food has no effect on colour for tarantulas but there is at least 1 spider where this can happen. Misumena vatia can have different coloration as slings depending on their diest and can change from white to yellow (and back) depending on the flowers they're inhabiting (Travis Mcenery posted a vid on these guys yesterday if you're interested in how it works). This seems very species specific though.
Crazy brightly coloured pictures can be edited but tbh some tarantulas just do look like that under certain lighting and after a molt.
Light temperatures and intensity can have a huge impact on how tarantulas look, especially when it comes to blue coloration since it's structural colour instead of pigment. The iridescent chelicerae on many jumping spiders are also structural colour. My female P regius' chelicerae can look anywhere from bright pink to violet and even blue depending on the light and the angle.
This could definitely be the case for you since both of the cases you mentioned are in regards to blue.
It would be very interesting to get a look at them using different types of light.

Sorry for the novel there lol this is definitely an interesting topic.

 

[Arachnopotamus Rex]

I'm pretty sure food has no effect on colour for tarantulas but there is at least 1 spider where this can happen. Misumena vatia can have different coloration as slings depending on their diest and can change from white to yellow (and back) depending on the flowers they're inhabiting (Travis Mcenery posted a vid on these guys yesterday if you're interested in how it works). This seems very species specific though.
Crazy brightly coloured pictures can be edited but tbh some tarantulas just do look like that under certain lighting and after a molt.
Light temperatures and intensity can have a huge impact on how tarantulas look, especially when it comes to blue coloration since it's structural colour instead of pigment. The iridescent chelicerae on many jumping spiders are also structural colour. My female P regius' chelicerae can look anywhere from bright pink to violet and even blue depending on the light and the angle.
This could definitely be the case for you since both of the cases you mentioned are in regards to blue.
It would be very interesting to get a look at them using different types of light.

Sorry for the novel there lol this is definitely an interesting topic.

I actually appreciate responses being a "novel", so no worries there. This is really interesting though, it seems to be that they can change color on demand over a period of time based on visual cues of its environment, like a slower version of what many octopus do.
I knew about goldenrod crab spiders (and have seen them many times) but I didn't know they changed colors, let alone with that degree of control.
I wonder what other spiders (if any) can do that.

 

[A guy]

No, but where they are in their molt cycle can.

 

[Charliemum]

I was told it was to do with light . Different light types make the hairs on the t's reflect different colours , there for make the t look like it has multicoloured hair .
My juvie pamphobeteus machala shows this real well with no light she is dark brown with redish floof on her booty but soon as the light hits her she is metallic pink .

Pic of maleficent just the room light.


And once the led torch light hits her.


As you can see she reflects pink. It just depends what sp you have as to what secret colour they have and what light shows it up

 

[Stu Macher]

I was told it was to do with light . Different light types make the hairs on the t's reflect different colours , there for make the t look like it has multicoloured hair .
My juvie pamphobeteus machala shows this real well with no light she is dark brown with redish floof on her booty but soon as the light hits her she is metallic pink .

Pic of maleficent just the room light.
View attachment 484873

And once the led torch light hits her.
View attachment 484874

As you can see she reflects pink. It just depends what sp you have as to what secret colour they have and what light shows it up

Nice! I love the transformation Pamphos go through. You can never go wrong with that starburst pattern on the carapace. What a fun genus to keep.

I wonder why people are so enamored with Stirmi's when you can get a hardier T that rarely kicks hairs (if at all). Not hating on Stirmi's, but i feel like Pamphos reign supreme in the birdeater category. Absolute tanks. Minimal husbandry, and each molt is like Christmas morning lol

 

[Charliemum]

Nice! I love the transformation Pamphos go through. You can never go wrong with that starburst pattern on the carapace. What a fun genus to keep.

I wonder why people are so enamored with Stirmi's when you can get a hardier T that rarely kicks hairs (if at all). Not hating on Stirmi's, but i feel like Pamphos reign supreme in the birdeater category. Absolute tanks. Minimal husbandry, and each molt is like Christmas morning lol

I have kept a few sp of pampho now and I love them all, they are a great genus.
I have only kept blondi out of Theraphosa so I can't speak for other sp in the genus but tbh mine has gone through alot of colour changes. My girl came as a dark sling but every moult she's turned more n more green then on her latest moult she's started getting some really red floof. I have been really impressed with her .
But if I could only keep only 1 giant it would probably be a pampho....or maybe sericopelma can't choose only 1

 

[darkness975]

No it doesn't.

 

[Brewser]

Maybe Not, but makes one wonder what would happen if...
Goliath Bird Eater Ate Flamingo. Think Pink

 

[TheraMygale]

If you want, and i am not saying do it, adding natural colorant to water could help your see if it does a change.

most birds that had color changes were usualy manipulated with food colorant. Take canaries for example. They also did it to fish. The horror.

i really dont approve of doing this though. And if it did work, we’d already know: probably some of the first things scientists try. Its cheap and easy.

tarantulas eat inverts and mammals that have no coloration. What mouse is blue? What cricket is purple?

Its not a nice thing to do

 

[Brewser]

Color much like Beauty, is in the "Eye Of The Beholder"

What We see as Color is the 'Wavelength' of Light being Reflected Off an Object back to Our Eye.

The Other Colors of the Spectrum / 'Wavelengths' having been absorbed by the object.

Colors of the Spectrum ( Different Wavelengths ) can be observed by shining White Light through a Prism which bends it in such a way as to reveal the Rainbow Effect.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Tarantulas have structural color. Light reflecting off the nanostructures is the color you see. (What viper was encouraging to research).
https://www.livescience.com/52945-blue-tarantula-color-mystery.html

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

tarantulas eat inverts and mammals that have no coloration. What mouse is blue? What cricket is purple?

Arthropods without coloration have a translucent cuticle and mammals that don't have color have albinism and are white with red eyes. Tarantulas most certainly eat prey with color.

Tarantulas have structural color. Light reflecting off the nanostructures is the color you see. (What viper was encouraging to research).
https://www.livescience.com/52945-blue-tarantula-color-mystery.html

Unless something new has been published that I don't know about, the publications that describe structural color in tarantulas have not studied the cause of the earth tone colors such as browns, blacks, reds, oranges, etc. They only focus on iridescence. The hardened cuticle of a tarantula that is shiny black does get the color from melanin pigment so to infer that tarantulas only have structural color is false.