Tarantula scared of my coughs?

[Moakmeister]

While filming a timelapse, I was sitting drinking a Coke watching my tarantula with a red light on him. Suddenly, my soda went down the wrong pipe. I coughed, and after spending 9776 years sitting absolutely still, my tarantula jumped out of its skin. I looked at it for a second, and coughed again. Same reaction, the tarantula acted startled. It kept doing this. It's not on the same table as me, and I'm barely moving at all when I cough. Maybe it's loud enough that it sends a huge vibration through the enclosure? Or maybe they have a better ability to perceive noise than we think.

 

[GreyPsyche]

I honestly don't understand they're levels of perception at times it seems immeasurable like a heartbeat halfway across the house could cause a reaction and at others it seems like they wouldn't know it if an elephant playing a tuba landed in their lap.

 

[BobBarley]

Noise itself is literally vibration.
I would hypothesize that tarantulas are only sensitive to certain frequencies/wavelengths/amplitude, etc. because there is "white noise" that needs to be cancelled out in the wild. Take this for instance, a tarantula in a burrow in the wild. A strong breeze blows by, rocking the bushes next to the t but not blowing directly on the t. I would imagine that the t would cancel out this sort of vibration/noise.
Perhaps your cough was just the right vibration to be perceived as a threat.

This is all speculation lol I have no real evidence, just me thinking aloud^

 

[viper69]

I honestly don't understand they're levels of perception at times it seems immeasurable like a heartbeat halfway across the house could cause a reaction and at others it seems like they wouldn't know it if an elephant playing a tuba landed in their lap.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[viper69]

are only sensitive to certain frequencies/wavelengths/amplitude

I've long suspected this, but would love for a neuroscientist or electrophysiologist to examine this.

 

[Tittle13]

I have seen some very similar things with my t's reacting to my voice when it's deeper. (Usually deeper in the morning) I try not to talk too loud when around them but occasionally you forget or laugh or something and pissed off my LP or sent my A. Genic running on 1 or two occasions and noticed those times my voice is usually deeper and causing more vibration.

 

[Leila]

I am fairly certain mine can hear me divert my eyes. I swear...I can see them in my peripheral vision dancing all about their enclosures; but AS SOON as I look them straight on, all activity halts.