#my pet spiders

[happyfoxx-art]

ITS THE SPOODVILLE UPDATE

TW: Spiders ahead (duh)

I've needed to do a little update on here for a minute! i can't remember the last i posted here so we'll just talk a lot about spiders for a sec.

Let's get the sad news out of the way first. My sweet first jumper, Mochi, passed on Tuesday. He had been acting quite sick for a few days so it wasn't a surprise to me. I'm gonna miss the little guy, and I have a memorial thing for him being made.

Rest in peace, Mochi. I love you <3

On to the good, more fun news ;u;

we have new residents!

First up is Poppy! She was my husbands gift to me for Mothers day. She's an i6 regal, so she's still pretty teeny and young but her personality is coming out more and more by the day! She's super cute and silly.

Next up, can't have Poppy without a Branch, right? This is Branch! He's got lovely green chels and he's regal i8, and he's living in my dinotown enclosure for now:

He's built himself a home in the leaf above the brachiosaur, and he seems quite comfy!

Next we got Indie! She's a gorgeous orange phase regal, i7. She's SO peppy! There's a ton of personality in this little lady, she's very active and curious. I absolutely love her, she's very fun to handle. She likes to jump a lot! She's living in my decora unicorn house:

Indie was supposed to be my last new spider till October, but the universe gave me an extra little surprise.

This is Joltik! I found them on the wall of my bedroom, and they're adjusting really well to pet life! They're in a temp home for now, but I got a cute permanent enclosure on the way :)

I love these little guys more than i thought I would. I hope you guys enjoy hearing about them, because I like talking about them xD

[kedreeva]

She has finalized her decision and chosen the mailbox with her name on it to start making her hammock!

[saewokhrisz]

to liquify the remains

[inkly-heart]

[esme-elora]

My jumping spider Pumpkin has gotten so big 😭 she's in her ninth instar now

She's grown to be such a sweet little lady and loves to help me work. Look how helpful she is!

[allaboutanimals]

Windshield wipers: ON

[justcommander]

I can't really be the only one who thinks those are a bit too big to be spiders...

[sodiumfluoride]

Stay awake don't fall asleep

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Arthropoda - Arachnida

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Arachnida is a highly diverse class, ranging from the Demodex mites living on you (yes, you) right now, to the Triassic-surviving horseshoe crabs (yes, a 2019 genetics-based analysis places them within Arachnida, though this is still debated), to your friendly pest-controlling house spider. They live worldwide, mainly on land, but some also in freshwater and marine environments. There are over 110,000 named species, with more being discovered every year. They comprise the Ricinulei (“Hooded Tickspiders”), Xiphosura (“Horseshoe Crabs”), Opiliones (“Harvestmen”), Solifugae (“Camel Spiders”), Acariformes (“Acariform Mites”), Parasitiformes (“Parasitiform Mites and Ticks”), Palpigradi (“Microwhip Scorpions”), Pseudoscorpiones (“Book Scorpions”), Scorpiones (“Scorpions”), Amblypygi (“Tailless Whip Scorpions”), Schizomida (“Short-tailed Whip Scorpions”), Uropygi (“Vinegaroons”), and Araneae (“Spiders”).

Adult arachnids have 8 legs attached to a head/thorax segment called the cephalothorax. Their abdomen contains their heart and respiratory organs. Arachnids also have two other pairs of appendages that vary in function between orders. The chelicerae are mainly used in feeding and defense. In spiders, they are used to deliver venom. The second pair, called pedipalps, are used for feeding, locomotion, defense, and/or reproduction. Scorpions, Pseudoscorpions, Ricinuleids, and Horseshoe Crabs have pedipalps that end in a pair of pinchers used for defense and manipulating food. Pseudoscorpions also have a venom gland in their pinchers which they use to immobilize prey. Vinegaroons, Schizomids, Amblypygids, and most Harvestmen have raptorial pedipalps that are used for capturing prey. Solifugids use their palps as another set of legs, and spiders use theirs like hands, while the males also use theirs for mating. Mites and ticks use their palps to sense their surroundings. Mites are more diverse than other arachnids, some only having 6 or even 4 legs. Adult females of Podapolipidae only have a single pair of legs. Some arachnids have a tail-like structure called a telson. Horseshoe Crabs use their telson to flip themselves over if they are turned on their backs. Scorpions use their telson as a stinger to deliver venom, while Palpigrades, Schizomids, and Vinegaroons use theirs as sensory structures. Schizomids and Vinegaroons can also produce acetic acid at the base of their telsons, which they use as a chemical defense sprayed at attackers. Instead of a telson, spiders have spinnerets on their abdomen which they use to create silk. Some have no eyes; some have up to six. Some only have very simple eyes which detect light and shadow, while others have very advanced eyesight.

Arachnids are so diverse that it would be impossible for me to provide a general summary of their behavior here. Some lay eggs, some bear live young. Some have intensive courtship rituals. In most, mothers provide parental care, but in some this falls on the fathers. They can be predators, scavengers, carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, parasites, and everything in between.

Arachnids are one of the oldest living Classes of land animals. Xiphosurans first appeared in the Late Ordovician, with modern horseshoe crabs appearing in the Carboniferous and becoming more common in the Triassic. The spider-like Order Uraraneida first appeared in the Permian, with true spiders appearing in the Carboniferous. There’s a lot of talk about how horseshoe crabs predate the dinosaurs, and that’s true, but so do other arachnids… and most other arthropods as well!

Propaganda under the cut:

While only Spiders, Scorpions, and Pseudoscorpions have venom, they all have different methods of injecting it, meaning they likely independently evolved venom. Which is wild to me.

Spiders tend to get a bad rap (mostly due to western media banking on arachnophobia and spreading misinformation) but they are incredibly beneficial to humans, eating many of the species we consider pests. Some crops, such as cranberries, tomatoes, and potatoes, rely on spiders for pest control. It has been found that wherever farmers release spiders, their crop yields increase, while also cutting down on the use of chemical pesticides by 80%.

There are around 50,000 species of spider and all but one family (Uloboridae) is venomous. However, this venom is mainly used to capture prey, and only 10 genera have venom considered medically significant to humans. Bites are rarer than the media would have you think, and deaths are even more rare, as they are usually a result of secondary infections, allergic reaction, or pre-existing conditions. You are more likely to die from a mosquito bite.

Even if they weren’t super important and helpful to humans, spiders are still just small animals living their lives and are all too often unfairly demonized. I’ll get off my soapbox now but listen… I’m Love Them. They are just little guys.

Anyway, Ricinuleids have a hood, called a cucullus, which can be raised or lowered over their head. This hood is also where females will carry their eggs until they hatch. Baby hoodie.

Horseshoe Crab blood is blue due to a copper-based respiratory pigment called hemocyanin. It is often harvested for its unique reactions to bacterial contamination and is thus used in FDA testing. Horseshoe Crab blood has saved millions of human lives, however, overharvesting for their blood as well as for fishing bait has put their populations into decline, which has in turn affected populations of shorebirds which depend on their eggs as migratory fuel. Many areas have enacted regulations on harvesting and established captive breeding programs.

Harvestmen are sometimes referred to as spiders, but they are actually closer related to scorpions!

Harvestmen are unique among arachnids for their high diversity of feeding behavior. Many species are omnivorous, eating small insects, fungi, and plants. Some species are scavengers. Some species feed on fecal matter! Unlike most other arachnids, they do not have sucking mouthparts, and instead chew their food with tiny pinching jaws.

Many arachnids, especially most scorpions, are biofluorescent, glowing under UV light. There are many hypotheses for why this is, but it may allow them to detect the presence of UV light themselves, letting them know when there is a full moon vs a new moon.

Scorpions can also detect light through sensors in their tail!

Scorpion claws and tails are reinforced with iron and nickel

Mites are incredibly diverse and live everywhere. Many live in the soil and aid in decomposing, some live in water, some live on plants, some live in plants and create galls, some eat fungi, some eat lichen, some eat carrion, some are predators, some are parasites. Almost every species on land (mammals, reptiles, ants, plants, etc) has at least one mite species associated with it.

Vinegaroon courtship rituals involve a dance that can last up to 12 hours of the female testing the male’s endurance. Female vinegaroons invest a lot into their children, often starving themselves in the process, so they must be absolutely certain the male has good fitness.

[pandadrake]

Pets for everyone.

I pencil-scribbled a bunch of these werewolf AU ideas in like a day, sorry.

[happyfoxx-art]

I wanna share my new SON!!!! Meet Mochi! He's just a lil fella 🥹🥹🥹

[kedreeva]

Looking up at me to see if she thinks I'm safe before climbing aboard my thumb.

[sleepnoises]

painting my neopets

i think you can tell which character design i came up with when i was a ten year old with a lot of free time on my hands

[harmonysanreads]

I AM WINNING TODAY

[esme-elora]

Remember these images of Pumpkin on a keyboard? This is her now. Feel old yet?

[kiruamon]

Cat AU - Sketch dump 3

When they come to the door just to welcome you back.

Moon and Sun where looking a lot after Eclipse during the first days when he was brought home from the vet by their owner. They were just glad to have him back in their lives.

Eclipse was officially welcomed to the family as soon as he was feeling better!

Eclipse wants to play with you!

Playtime!

Moon's not a fan of laundry day. And will stay put in front of the washing machine the whole time.

And up they go!

When your kitten grows:

Final picture of them napping together.