Hello all,
I was wondering if someone could help educate me a bit more on my pets, and in a way on the research I am doing on them online. What I am wondering about is the phases they go through in life, and how we refer to them. I have heard of and read about spiderlings, slings, juveniles, sub-adults, adults and mature males, but am uncertain what exactly it means, or how you can tell when they have entered into the next stage.
So, here's what I've been assuming/wondering. If someone could set me straight that would be much appreciated.
I assume 'spiderling' and 'sling' are the same thing.
Is 'juvenile' a different stage, or also a spiderling/sling?
How do you know when a spider is sub-adult, and when it has become an adult?
I know a mature male is the stage where it can reproduce, with hooks and 'boxing gloves', but is there a stage of adult male before he becomes a mature male, or does he go from sub-adult straight to MM (making adult male and mature male the same thing).
Is an adult female the stage where she is ready to mate? Or does she become an adult first, and ready to mate later?
I realise all species are different, grow at different speeds and so on, and so that size or age are not good general indicators, but is there a way of identifying the stages without these indicators? Or is it really a matter of looking at them species by species?
I hope someone will be able to lift the curse of ignorance a wee bit for me....
Many thanks.
I was wondering if someone could help educate me a bit more on my pets, and in a way on the research I am doing on them online. What I am wondering about is the phases they go through in life, and how we refer to them. I have heard of and read about spiderlings, slings, juveniles, sub-adults, adults and mature males, but am uncertain what exactly it means, or how you can tell when they have entered into the next stage.
So, here's what I've been assuming/wondering. If someone could set me straight that would be much appreciated.
I assume 'spiderling' and 'sling' are the same thing.
Is 'juvenile' a different stage, or also a spiderling/sling?
How do you know when a spider is sub-adult, and when it has become an adult?
I know a mature male is the stage where it can reproduce, with hooks and 'boxing gloves', but is there a stage of adult male before he becomes a mature male, or does he go from sub-adult straight to MM (making adult male and mature male the same thing).
Is an adult female the stage where she is ready to mate? Or does she become an adult first, and ready to mate later?
I realise all species are different, grow at different speeds and so on, and so that size or age are not good general indicators, but is there a way of identifying the stages without these indicators? Or is it really a matter of looking at them species by species?
I hope someone will be able to lift the curse of ignorance a wee bit for me....
Many thanks.