Comments on: Tarantula climbs walls by spinning silk from its feet

By: Tarantulas climb by shooting silk from their feet | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Free Methods to Remove Viruses, Spamware and Malware

Tue, 17 May 2011 17:41:11 +0000

[...] have been kept as pets for decades, though their silk-spinning feet were only detected in 2006 by Stanislav Gorb from the Max Planck Institute. Gorb watched Costa Rican zebra tarantulas climbing [...]

By: Zach Miller

Zach Miller — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:10:17 +0000

I would be surprised at all if this technique is basal to all spiders, seeing as tarantulas are among the most primitive living spiders. And I think, developmentally speaking, spinnerettes are basically tiny little legs.

By: Skwee

Skwee — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:30:34 +0000

You’re welcome.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:01:36 +0000

Thanks Skwee – much appreciated.

By: Skwee

Skwee — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:14:13 +0000

By the way, Ed, I just discovered your blog & it’s my new favorite ScienceBlog. Just thought you should know that.

By: Skwee

Skwee — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:37:30 +0000

Come to think of it, I’ve seen lots of silky smears on the walls of my Grammostola aureostriata‘s tank. Then again, she has a tendency to get it stuck all over her body.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:46:22 +0000

That’s interesting that this turned up in A. seemanni as they are a terrestrial spider preferring a deep burrow rather than climbing. I currently have a spiderling A seemanni, I’ll keep an eye on that as she/he gets bigger.
I’ve seen my full grown G. rosea climb straight up, it’s quite something. Doesn’t do it often, and it scares the crap out of me when she does as she’s a big girl. Wonder if that’s how she’s doing it.
I would shocked if this did not turn up in the aboreal species. I’ve noticed gunk on the walls of my terrariums, but never thought it might come from their feet.