Where exactly is their mouth?

basin79

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Using pics of my Macrothele gigas as she's a mygalomorph so I'm assuming a tarantula's mouth will be located in the same area.

Now I don't actually know where the mouth is located. I've put arrows where I think it's located but if you can tell me exactly I'd appreciate as it will help me answer future questions.

Feel free to draw arrows or circles on these pics.

Cheers.

07F2664B-E09D-4D3E-872C-E57A7601E278.jpeg F3F827DD-DEFF-4886-ABBB-9C5A3AE9716F.jpeg C8497D71-07C6-49F2-BB40-94316FEE7DF2.jpeg 88DF9068-8C75-4936-B460-A21B25612FA4.jpeg
 

BoyFromLA

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I do not think there is any parts that we might call ‘mouth’ since tarantulas using two fangs, and rest are joint parts that connect both fangs together.

33A5CCF3-B6C6-4E03-893F-DB53805AF445.jpeg
 
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dman13760

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awesome photos.... following because I'd really like to know myself! If I had to guess, I would have picked the same structure you did
 

Blueandbluer

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I do not think there is any parts that we might call ‘mouth’ since tarantulas using two fangs, and rest are joint parts that connect both fangs together.

View attachment 387837
My understanding is that the “fangs” aka chelicerae are used for envenomation and mastication (don’t you dare, @Poonjab …) NOT for the actual eating. They bite, envenomate to help liquify the prey item, and then use the chelicerae to press the food mass against the mouth opening beneath the chelicerae and slurp up the goodness.

Please someone correct me if that’s wrong but that’s what I remember from reading Rainier Foelix’s Biology of Spiders many many years ago. I’d look it up but I’m moving and my books are all packed…
 

BoyFromLA

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They bite, envenomate to help liquify the prey item, and then use the chelicerae to press the food mass against the mouth opening beneath the chelicerae and slurp up the goodness.
Oh? Interesting, I did not know that. So tarantulas are drinking water with their mouth, not with their fangs also?

If that really is the case, then losing both fangs are not as critical as I assume.
 

Arachnophobphile

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My understanding is that the “fangs” aka chelicerae are used for envenomation and mastication (don’t you dare, @Poonjab …) NOT for the actual eating. They bite, envenomate to help liquify the prey item, and then use the chelicerae to press the food mass against the mouth opening beneath the chelicerae and slurp up the goodness.

Please someone correct me if that’s wrong but that’s what I remember from reading Rainier Foelix’s Biology of Spiders many many years ago. I’d look it up but I’m moving and my books are all packed…
I'm with you on this. T's have a sucking stomach connected to a mouth that they also use to drink water, yes?

However I'm not going to assume as I'm always wrong when I do.

Hold on breaking out my book. Let's start here.

Here we go
 

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AphonopelmaTX

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Using pics of my Macrothele gigas as she's a mygalomorph so I'm assuming a tarantula's mouth will be located in the same area.

Now I don't actually know where the mouth is located. I've put arrows where I think it's located but if you can tell me exactly I'd appreciate as it will help me answer future questions.
You got it. ;)

Use the diagram from the web site Tarántulas de México for reference.


 

LucN

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Are you suggesting the fangs are all there is??

The fangs are not envolved in chewing per se.
Aren't there rows of tiny teeth under the chelicerae ? That's what's most likely helping in the dismemberment of prey.

Edit : Duh ! Looking at the first picture, they are so evident.
 

Blueandbluer

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Oh? Interesting, I did not know that. So tarantulas are drinking water with their mouth, not with their fangs also?

If that really is the case, then losing both fangs are not as critical as I assume.
They are still critical though, because without them they couldn’t a)catch they prey b)envenomate the prey, or c)bring the food to the mouth for eating. So even if they don’t actually suck up the nutrients through them, they’ll still starve to death if they don’t have the fangs.
 

yetkin

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They are still critical though, because without them they couldn’t a)catch they prey b)envenomate the prey, or c)bring the food to the mouth for eating. So even if they don’t actually suck up the nutrients through them, they’ll still starve to death if they don’t have the fangs.
actually ı saw some pople did this and ı did it too feeding a sick tarantula by flipping it and putting inside of a worm on its mought they eat it (or suck it?) but ıdk if fangs played any role in there but still it would be the thing ı do if ı had a fangless tarantula
 
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Arachnophobphile

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actually ı saw some pople did this and ı did it too feeding a sick tarantula by flipping it and putting inside of a worm on its mought they eat it (or suck it?) but ıdk if fangs played any role in there but still it would be the thing ı do if ı had a fangless tarantula
You wouldn't need to do that or worry about feeding it. They will grow their fangs back if they lose them somehow by usually a person on next molt.

Water however is an absolute must.
 
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