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<blockquote data-quote="Nunua" data-source="post: 136063" data-attributes="member: 4947"><p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I'm not a scientist on this field of study, but this is how I have understood it after reading several articles about spider feet.</p><p></p><p>The reason why some hobbyists replace the mesh with acrylic when having <strong>terrestrials </strong>in ExoTerra is because their claws can get stuck on the mesh.</p><p>Yes, terrestrials are not the agile climbers of the tarantula group but that does not mean that they're not able to do that (duh..)</p><p></p><p>One of the keys in this is the different type of tarsal claws and scopulate claw tufts between arboreal and terrestrial species. Why are they different - Well, that's evolution for you. Arboreals are climbers, so the scopulate pads are relatively big to create a larger area for Van der Waals forces while the terrestrial have scopulate pads that are more suitable for grabbing the prey and help on the ground.</p><p></p><p>When the tarantula moves, also their scopulate hair and tarsal claws move depending on the species. Van der Waals forces keep the terrestrial tarantula on the side of the enclosure but when they get to the mesh, the anatomy and movement of tarsal claws create a great risk of getting stuck. For example my <em>N. incei </em>gold is a great example of a small tarantula who gets extremely easily stuck to the mesh - The species is very agile but the anatomy is what causes the problem. After the claws get stuck to the mesh, there is a huge risk that the tarantula fails to keep its other legs on the mesh due the decreased Van der Waals forces compared to the acrylic / glass and falls.</p><p></p><p>As we all know, falling can be fatal to the tarantulas and while the terrestrials have heavier build, they usually don't handle impacts very well. But in this case, with having claws of one foot stuck in the mesh, it's relatively likely that the tarantula won't fall straight away to the ground but dangles from the mesh with this one leg. It goes without saying that this can be extremely dangerous to the tarantula. There are cases where the dangling has severely damaged the leg - or even caused it to rip off.</p><p></p><p>With arboreals the risk is minimal due the anatomy of their scopulate pads and tarsal claws (and their overall lighter build compared to the terrestrials), and therefore the mesh replacement is not necessary.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nunua, post: 136063, member: 4947"] [B]EDIT:[/B] I'm not a scientist on this field of study, but this is how I have understood it after reading several articles about spider feet. The reason why some hobbyists replace the mesh with acrylic when having [B]terrestrials [/B]in ExoTerra is because their claws can get stuck on the mesh. Yes, terrestrials are not the agile climbers of the tarantula group but that does not mean that they're not able to do that (duh..) One of the keys in this is the different type of tarsal claws and scopulate claw tufts between arboreal and terrestrial species. Why are they different - Well, that's evolution for you. Arboreals are climbers, so the scopulate pads are relatively big to create a larger area for Van der Waals forces while the terrestrial have scopulate pads that are more suitable for grabbing the prey and help on the ground. When the tarantula moves, also their scopulate hair and tarsal claws move depending on the species. Van der Waals forces keep the terrestrial tarantula on the side of the enclosure but when they get to the mesh, the anatomy and movement of tarsal claws create a great risk of getting stuck. For example my [I]N. incei [/I]gold is a great example of a small tarantula who gets extremely easily stuck to the mesh - The species is very agile but the anatomy is what causes the problem. After the claws get stuck to the mesh, there is a huge risk that the tarantula fails to keep its other legs on the mesh due the decreased Van der Waals forces compared to the acrylic / glass and falls. As we all know, falling can be fatal to the tarantulas and while the terrestrials have heavier build, they usually don't handle impacts very well. But in this case, with having claws of one foot stuck in the mesh, it's relatively likely that the tarantula won't fall straight away to the ground but dangles from the mesh with this one leg. It goes without saying that this can be extremely dangerous to the tarantula. There are cases where the dangling has severely damaged the leg - or even caused it to rip off. With arboreals the risk is minimal due the anatomy of their scopulate pads and tarsal claws (and their overall lighter build compared to the terrestrials), and therefore the mesh replacement is not necessary. [/QUOTE]
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