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
[Applause]
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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
[Applause]
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