Tarantula silk and burrow

Carl Olson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
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2
How does taratula remove silken door closing burrow? Does it digest and consume the silk or brush it aside with legs, or something else?
 

DaveM

ArachnoOneCanReach
Old Timer
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Jul 12, 2011
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1,163
They just tear it away with their legs. Tarantulas are very strong pulling, very weak pushing, because they have no extensor muscles (their legs extend by internal fluid pressure only). They have claws on their tarsi (feet) that give them a good grip on almost anything.
The digestive enzymes can and do break down silk. Prey items are usually covered to varying degrees with silk, and I suspect some of that silk might be digested/consumed/recovered. Mature males also usually do appear to eat their sperm webs (perhaps to recover nutrients from leftover sperm). I don't believe tarantulas would normally consume the silk that they have laid down on soil or substrate. It accumulates. They would get a mouth full of dirt with that silk anyway :)
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
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Jan 17, 2020
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5,275
They just “claw” and pull their way through it!
 

Carl Olson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
2
They just tear it away with their legs. Tarantulas are very strong pulling, very weak pushing, because they have no extensor muscles (their legs extend by internal fluid pressure only). They have claws on their tarsi (feet) that give them a good grip on almost anything.
The digestive enzymes can and do break down silk. Prey items are usually covered to varying degrees with silk, and I suspect some of that silk might be digested/consumed/recovered. Mature males also usually do appear to eat their sperm webs (perhaps to recover nutrients from leftover sperm). I don't believe tarantulas would normally consume the silk that they have laid down on soil or substrate. It accumulates. They would get a mouth full of dirt with that silk anyway :)
Thanks DaveM for the answer. It makes the most sense, but I'd never talked with anyone about it before.
 

MrsHaas

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
875
How does taratula remove silken door closing burrow? Does it digest and consume the silk or brush it aside with legs, or something else?
Chew through it, pull it open with their legs - although webbings is super strong, they are surprisingly strong too! They will figure it out themselves, I don’t think you have to worry. :)
 

Colorado Ts

Arachnoangel
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
831
From what I've seen, in the few spiders that I've observed, that have exited a sealed burrow opening, they just use their fore legs and push threw the silk. Over time the silk gets pressed against the sides of the burrow opening.
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
Man they eat their left over sperm.... but often wont touch a cricket. Must be good stuff
 
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