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Good question, i think all spiders also do this (tarantulas are not technically spiders themselves), but scorpions do it differently. Scorpions lay a smal

by fifnir 7y ago

Good question, i think all spiders also do this (tarantulas are not technically spiders themselves), but scorpions do it differently. Scorpions lay a small.... it looks like a mucus dildo, they call it a spermatophore.... on the ground and then guide the female over it during a sort of mating-dancing ritual. Yeah I understand that a lot of people get the creeps with spiders. I remember a friend back in highschool telling me "it's the way they walk, it creeps me out" But what's also true is that everyone ended up being curious about my tarantulas and would spend a few minutes checking them out, even if their first reaction to the concept of me having pet tarantulas was disgust or fear. I wonder to what degree arachnophobia (even mild) is a product of society. This article is a good example, if even when someone is about to tell you something new and interesting about spiders they call them terrifying, of course most people will internalize this.

dvtrn 7y ago
(tarantulas are not technically spiders themselves) This is something I've heard once before, but the specifics of why elude me--a refresher if you'd be kind enough to indulge my curiosity further? (There's a reason below) I've also heard that their bodies are quite fragile, or specifically their 'exoskeleton' is incredibly fragile but they've got strong muscles? if even when someone is about to tell you something new and interesting about spiders they call them terrifying, of course most people will internalize this. This is what clued me in that you may have some opinion and interesting things to share, just the way you responded to it. For context, despite my fear of spiders, I was once in a relationship with someone who had not one, not two, but THREE pet spiders--and had many friends who were also similarly enthusiastic arachnophiles. She loved the creatures and came to help me appreciate them a bit more and even taught me a few things about them, despite my own fears, but I learned to recognize just the way one reacts to the discussions of spiders. So that's why I started this discussion off inquiring the way I did--that you seemed like someone who didn't have much fear of the creature. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge here today!
- fifnir 7y ago
  So i looked it up and from what i see Mygalomorphae (which is tarantulas, trap-door spiders and others) are an infraorder of spiders. I don't know why I remember the difference to be more distinct. In any case, the way i mentioned it is as a technicality (like tomato is a fruit). mygalomorphs are slightly different than other spiders, a bit like ""ancient"" spiders. They have two pairs of book lungs (breathing organs), and their fangs are parallel and face down (in spiders the fangs face eachother i think) Glad i could share ^_^

by fifnir 7y ago

dvtrn 7y ago

(tarantulas are not technically spiders themselves) This is something I've heard once before, but the specifics of why elude me--a refresher if you'd be kind enough to indulge my curiosity further? (There's a reason below) I've also heard that their bodies are quite fragile, or specifically their 'exoskeleton' is incredibly fragile but they've got strong muscles? if even when someone is about to tell you something new and interesting about spiders they call them terrifying, of course most people will internalize this. This is what clued me in that you may have some opinion and interesting things to share, just the way you responded to it. For context, despite my fear of spiders, I was once in a relationship with someone who had not one, not two, but THREE pet spiders--and had many friends who were also similarly enthusiastic arachnophiles. She loved the creatures and came to help me appreciate them a bit more and even taught me a few things about them, despite my own fears, but I learned to recognize just the way one reacts to the discussions of spiders. So that's why I started this discussion off inquiring the way I did--that you seemed like someone who didn't have much fear of the creature. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge here today!

fifnir 7y ago
So i looked it up and from what i see Mygalomorphae (which is tarantulas, trap-door spiders and others) are an infraorder of spiders. I don't know why I remember the difference to be more distinct. In any case, the way i mentioned it is as a technicality (like tomato is a fruit). mygalomorphs are slightly different than other spiders, a bit like ""ancient"" spiders. They have two pairs of book lungs (breathing organs), and their fangs are parallel and face down (in spiders the fangs face eachother i think) Glad i could share ^_^