...Rainer F. Foelix; Bastian Rast; Anne M. Peattie SUMMARY Controversial views have been expressed about whether tarantula feet can secrete fine silk threads that could prevent them from falling off smooth vertical surfaces. Two studies have claimed that ‘ribbed hairs’ on the tarsi of tarantulas...

...F. Claire Rind; Chris Luke Birkett; Benjamin-James A. Duncan; Alexander J. Ranken SUMMARY Like all spiders, tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) synthesize silk in specialized glands and extrude it from spinnerets on their abdomen. In one species of large tarantula, Aphonopelma seemanni , it has been...

...Cara Shillington; Charles C. Peterson SUMMARY We examined aerobic performance traits in male and female tarantulas( Aphonopelma anax ). Reproductive fitness in these males relies heavily on locomotory searching to locate receptive females, which are fossorial and sedentary. Because...