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Amazed how these B smithi find food

tapkoote

Active Member
3 Year Member
Messages
127
Location
the great north west
I just can't believe how sensitive these spiders are to their surroundings.
I've been dropping in one or two small meal worms, with heads crushed and right out of the fridge, and she can find them. I read here that meal worms can live two days like that. But these are right out of cold weather and she can sense WHAT? BREATHING?- HEART BEAT? I wouldn't think they have a pulse. These are so cold they don't wiggle, how do they do it?
 

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Nunua

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
539
Location
Finland
Tarantulas have pretty bad eye-sight, especially terrestrials, but they have an extremely sensitive nervous system. The longer hairs you see, setae, are not just hairs but sensory organs used to sense for example vibrations and chemical signatures. Even Ts that are not heavy webbers, can have subtle strings of silk all over the place to transfer even the smallest vibrations to them :) Worms don't need to wiggle much - Dropping them in sends a strong signal already, so only the slightest movement or chemical signature from hemolymph is enough to lead your T to the snack.
 
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