today we're going to talk about the

urticating hairs of tarantulas so

let's get started

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welcome to the tarantula collective my

name's richard and if you're new to the

channel i make videos about tarantulas

scorpions and other inverts so if that's

something you're interested in

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now we all know that some species of

tarantulas have urticating hairs but

when it comes to exactly which species

have exactly what type of verticating

hairs it seems a lot of us

are confused on that topic so today

we're going to dive deep

into sete not literally though because

that would be very itchy

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there are two types of tarantulas in the

world divided up depending on what part

of the world you find them

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there are new world tarantulas that can

be found in north central and south

america

sometimes referred to as bird eaters

and there are old world tarantulas that

can be found in the rest of the world

usually referred to as baboons old world

tarantulas like those found in africa

and throughout asia for the most part

lack any urticating hairs

though they do seem to possess much

stronger venom

there can always be exceptions to these

rules especially as tarantulas have not

nearly been studied as

thoroughly scientifically as they

probably should be at this point

even the assumption that old world

tarantulas have stronger venom than new

world tarantulas

with the exception of a few species has

not been scientifically proven in all

cases

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that being said it is easy to observe

that old world tarantulas seem to be

more defensive

faster to flee and more apt to show a

threat pose in an attempt to intimidate

compared to new world species

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new world tarantulas are not as

defensive but they do possess urticating

sete that they will kick up in the air

when they feel threatened

around ninety percent of new world

species have these hairs though some

species like some opius

do not possess them urticating setae can

be found on the femura of the pedopalps

or more commonly on the abdomen

different types of tarantulas have

different sette or combinations of setae

located on different areas of the

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abdomen

it is said that species of tarantulas in

the gramostola lostyodora or acanthus

curia genera possess the most urticating

sete on their bodies

but to different levels of effectiveness

the er dedicating sete of gramostola

species are typically harmless to humans

and not very irritating at all

though tarantulas in the acanthoscuria

genus can have hairs that are much more

irritating and can cause severe itching

in rashes

while specimens within the genus of

theraposa are known to have the most

serious urticating sete that can cause

not only itching

and rash but burning sensations bumps or

blisters that can last for weeks

as well as the possibility of causing

breathing issues

especially if the hairs are inhaled

these hairs are not just kicked into the

air in self-defense

but they can also be used passively by

some species

and are transferred onto the webbing of

their burrows and surrounding areas

as well as onto their egg sacs in an

attempt to ward off predators

and counter to the common belief that

one can build up a tolerance or immunity

to hairs like can happen with medicine

or alcohol

the reaction to urticating hairs can

become worse the more you are exposed to

them

some hairs you found slightly irritating

in the beginning can become extremely

uncomfortable after

years of repeated contact leading some

people to no longer even be able to stay

in the same room as some of their

favorite species that they have kept for

decades

because the discomfort has become so

intolerable that is why it is important

and even imperative to be careful when

rehousing or interacting with your

tarantulas and take precautions like

wearing gloves

eye protection and even long sleeves

when there is a chance you can come in

contact with the cete

being macho and saying they do not

bother you now

may be true but after years of that

mindset you may realize your resistance

has turned into a sensitivity

that could make keeping some of your

favorite tarantulas very uncomfortable

or even impossible

while researching tarantulas it is

common to come across descriptions of

species

stating different types of urticating

hairs that use the numbers one through

six

though they usually go into no further

detail about what this means or what the

differences are between the different

types

in fact there are actually seven

different types and some species have

two different types of urticating

setting

so today we're going to break down the

different types of hairs and explain

what kind of tarantulas possess them

type 1 hair these hairs are about 0.2 to

0.6 millimeters and are embedded into

the skin by a penetrating tip

they are found on many species of

tarantula except for the gramostola

species

they are also the only type of

urticating hair possessed by the nondu

carponius

the p amazonicus and vitalius species

these hairs are not just effective when

kicked into the air but these tarantulas

will also kick them onto their webbing

and around their burrows

as they are effective and quickly

warding off creatures that come in

contact with them

type 2 hairs are a little larger

measuring between 0.5 to 1.5 millimeters

and are also embedded with a penetrating

tip this type of hair is exclusive to a

vicularia species

pasha to pelme species and era de pelma

species

they are not kicked into the air as a

cloud rather they are transferred by

direct contact

so when your evicularia is rubbing its

abdomen on you it may look cute

and you may think it's a sign of

affection but it's actually trying to

rub urticating hairs on

type 3 hairs are around the same size as

type 2 measuring

0.3 millimeters to 1.8 millimeters

and are also embedded by a penetrating

tip these are known as the most

effective and most irritating type of

urticating hairs to vertebrates and

invertebrates alike

they can be found on species in genera

like nandu

mega fapelma rockypelma

among many others

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type 4 these hairs are much finer than

the previous urticating sete

usually measured around 0.06 to 0.22

millimeters

and like most cete are embedded by a

penetrating tip

they are most commonly found on many

species like those in the gramostola and

youthless genus

they are very irritating to small

animals but are among the least

irritating to humans

so if you are sensitive to urticating

hairs gramostola and youthless

tarantulas are probably a very good

choice for you

type 5 these are extremely short and

light compared to other types of

urticating setting

and instead of penetrating the skin they

are embedded in hair follicles

also unlike the previous sette these

hairs are found on the femura of the

petaps

and are exclusive to the ephebopus

species

type 6 hairs are relatively rare and are

found in the himmerhaga species and are

also embedded in the hair follicle

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type 7 these are the most recently

discovered urticating hairs

described by galves and perez miles in

2016. they are exclusive to the

colombian tarantula

and the konkuamu genus and are different

from other types of hairs

as they have a small patch of reverse

barbs near the tip

and small main barbs extending the

length of the sente

even though most people are worried

about the venom of the tarantula

concern and attention should really be

paid to urticating hairs

this seemingly innocuous defense

mechanism is often

overlooked or even joked about among

tarantula keepers

but if you have ever been on the

receiving end of urticating satay

you know how irritating the reaction can

be this is why it is very important to

not place tarantulas on your face

have them around your eyes or nose and

why you definitely should never put one

in your mouth

no matter how cool you think the picture

may be and how many likes you may get on

instagram

verticating hairs in the eye can cause

temporary blindness

and may require medical treatment

getting hairs in your mouth or throat

could cause swelling making it hard to

talk eat or even breathe and the

consequences could be even worse

if they get into your lungs in all my

years of keeping tarantulas

i have found no home remedy that can

alleviate the discomfort of getting

these hairs on your skin

i have tried ice packs warm compresses

calamine lotion

duct tape hot candle wax and about any

other suggestions you can commonly find

on message boards and facebook groups

the only thing to provide the slightest

relief has been ibuprofen

benadryl and a prescription steroid

anti-itch cream my doctor prescribed

once

for the most part you just have to

suffer through the discomfort and wait

for your body to heal itself

it is best to avoid getting hair on your

skin in the first place

by taking preventative measures like

wearing gloves long sleeves

eye protection and even a face mask

depending on the species that you're

interacting with

and your sensitivity

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now i know it sounds silly to be

concerned about hair but if you've

gotten some of that urticating set

on your skin you know how serious it can

be and it's only going to get worse the

longer you let yourself be exposed to it

now don't let this scare you or

turn you off to the hobby because

keeping tarantulas is amazing

just don't fall into that macho mindset

and throw caution in the wind and not

care about hairs at all

because as i mentioned they can be

extremely uncomfortable and potentially

dangerous if they get in your eyes nose

or mouth

as long as you wear gloves and long

sleeves and a mask and eye protection if

needed you're not going to have any

issues

now if you want to watch my video where

i talk to coyote peterson about the

effects of venom on the human body just

click this video right here

and if you want to be entertained with

some awesome feeding videos just watch

this playlist right here

as always i appreciate you watching

subscribe if you want to see more

thanks for buying tarantula collective

merchandise and i will see

you next tuesday

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you