just a thought

TTstinger

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
310
I was pondering eggsacks and how they are cared for. I believe that for the most part an eggsack is water resistant to help keep moisture in as well as out. But what about when things get too dry in the wild. So I just had a thought do they if an eggsacks begins to become to dry might the be able to inject venom or retained water through the fangs to bring up humidity.

Please your thoughts
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
8,656
Well you did get one thing right and that’s that they make the sac to protect the eggs from the outside elements. In the wild they will move the sac up and down their burrows seemingly to control the temps and humidity.

But as far as the fangs being used to inject water to keep them moist or what not, that does not happen. Sacs dry out and mold all the time and the mother will take care of them the whole time oblivious to the infertile eggs. I have a Smithi right now that is taking care of a sac full of cotton and she has no clue there was a switch made. The mother T just does things based off instinct.

Interesting thought though.
 

Jonathan Rice

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
149
Well you did get one thing right and that’s that they make the sac to protect the eggs from the outside elements. In the wild they will move the sac up and down their burrows seemingly to control the temps and humidity.

But as far as the fangs being used to inject water to keep them moist or what not, that does not happen. Sacs dry out and mold all the time and the mother will take care of them the whole time oblivious to the infertile eggs. I have a Smithi right now that is taking care of a sac full of cotton and she has no clue there was a switch made. The mother T just does things based off instinct.

Interesting thought though.

Fascinating! What a switch! Reminds me of Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones swaps that golden statue with a bag of sand!
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
8,656
The part I think is the coolest is I could set up the eggs in a incubator and never look at them and know when they were slings. The mother will take care of that ball of cotton till the eggs become slings then she ditches it.
 

jr47

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
595
The part I think is the coolest is I could set up the eggs in a incubator and never look at them and know when they were slings. The mother will take care of that ball of cotton till the eggs become slings then she ditches it.
isn't it amazing how that works. i know this has nothing to do with t's but along the same lines. you can take a chipmunk and bring it in the house where its warm and it will still go into hibernation. and prayer plants that fold up at night, put one in a room with no windows, a sun lamp above it and at sundown it will still fold up. i know its instinct but its still very interesting to me.
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Messages
2,591
Actually, if conditions started drying out too much in the wild, the tarantula will just dig a little deeper. There's always moisture in the ground, so they dig more to keep humidity just right.

-Sean
 
Top