what accounts for the color in Tarantulas?

[Gillian]

Hi all,
First off, I'm most proud. My C. fasciatum has decided to be a top dweller, for some odd reason. Several times a day, I'll hold it's jar to a light, just to see the coloring. Especially the metallic orange on the cephalothorax. So, I have a question. Other than genetics, and heredity, how do colors that we see on tarantulas show at all? I know of very few animals that have this beautiful metallic sheen to their color, other than fish and chickens...

Peace,
Gillian

 

[Venom]

The colour of a tarantulas exo' is due to it's structure of the cuticle, not because of pigments. Effectively, light enters the exoskeleton, but only certain frequencies are reflected back out of the cuticle. That's why we have no albino T's : their colors aren't dependent on pigments. It's the same thing with certain species of butterflies ( like Morpho species ) ; light enters the scales, but only certain frequencies are reflected back out to the viewer.

 

[Gillian]

Venom,
Thanks. Its still a marvel of nature, truly.

Peace,
Gillian