Mouthparts of tarantulas, how do they eat?

[Tabitha]

Hi all,
I’ve been wondering about the anatomy of tarantula mouthparts and how they actually consume an insect,
I have read the sticky about anatomy but I was wondering if anyone can tell me more about how they actually eat, please forgive if this is a silly question.
So there are the chelicerae for catching and grasping, people say spiders suck the liquid parts out of insects and leave the exoskeleton, but this is true? If so, What do they possess to be able to do this?
I find bits of insects in the vivs but sometimes not, so are they capable of actually consuming an insect completely, if this is possible what ‘jaws’ or mouthparts do they have? How do they consume it?
Again, I’m sorry if these are funny questions but I’ve been curious about this for so long I thought I must ask.

 

[RonC]

The Tarantula bites the prey and injects venom into it's prey. The venom immobilizes and breaks down the soft tissue of the prey. The tarantula uses it's pharynx to suck the goo into it's digestive gland.

 

[Enn49]

Try this
www.priscillava.com/bbc-journey-inside-a-giant-spider.html

 

[ilovebrachys]

Try this
www.priscillava.com/bbc-journey-inside-a-giant-spider.html

thanks @Enn49 that's a very interesting and informative article

 

[RonC]

Excellent Enn49

 

[WolfSpider]

Tarantulas CAN consume dried exoskeletons and solid parts. Anyone who has had a large T consume a red runner, dubia, or discoid knows that there are plenty of times that no bolus remains.

 

[sdsnybny]

Tarantulas only have a sucking stomach and its mouth parts filter down to 5 microns if i remember, so no they do not consume exoskeleton. If your not finding a bolus its stashed away, buried, webbed into a dirt ball or just tiny depending on the prey item. Tarantulas use the fangs and there teeth to masticate the prey item so they can suck the liquid from the prey item. Yes they have teeth (Google image search tarantula chelicerae teeth) for more images. Credit to mygale.de for the wonderful macro shot

 

[WolfSpider]

Cool.....some gentle controversy. @Arachnoclown: what happens to your mice parts when you feed a T. blonde?

 

[Dave Jay]

Cool.....some gentle controversy. @Arachnoclown: what happens to your mice parts when you feed a T. blonde?

As you see in the information Enn linked to the exoskeleton is ground up by the teeth and digestive fluids pumped over it so sometimes there might be very little undissolved material left at all.
It might depend upon the state/stage of the insect or its exoskeleton and on the spider itself, perhaps sometimes the venom or digestive juices have different properties and are more "corrosive" than other times so there is less undigested material. Or perhaps it depends on how much effort the spider puts into getting the very last bit of possible nutrition from the prey. Perhaps when prey appears to be abundant they just top themselves up with the easily digestible fluids but other times they spend longer chewing and digesting?
I watched an experiment on scorpion venom recently where they tested the venom, then "scared" the scorpion with a stuffed mouse daily for 2 weeks and tested the venom again, it had more of the properties that cause pain in mammals and less of the properties aimed at insects, less able to both kill and digest insects I would think. Maybe the composition of a tarantulas venom and/or digestive juices varies periodically too?

 

[Avicularia Kael]

I did some research of my own. Some study said tarantula venom is especially strong on mice, which would be a common intruder of burrows.

 

[Tabitha]

Wow, thank you guys, this has been absolutely fascinating and very enlightening indeed, thank you Enn for that article, I am so pleased to have that to study over and over, ashamed to say I knew very little of the facts given,
Thank you all for your contributions, all read and asborbed equally, and thank you @RonC and @sdsnybny the photos were stunning too. @WolfSpider and @Dave Jay super points made, but thank you to all.
It’s been a real help and my respect for these creatures multiples each time I learn more and find out what incredible things they do and are capable of.
I’ll be keen to see further swapping of info too.