I would like to know why or what caused the difference between Old and New world tarantulas defense techniques? Same with the venom potency between Old and New worlds.

Cant find any answers on google or im just not searching in the correct place.

Sent with Uncle Charlie's Pokie machine

Damn fine question.
And why have some NW spiders given up on kicking hair, if they even did in the first place, like Avicularia spp. and Psalmopoeus spp.
And why does Africa have so little true arboreal spiders (as opposed to opportunistic). We have trees. Good trees. And riverine forests with prey items etc.

Marius wrote: Damn fine question.
And why have some NW spiders given up on kicking hair, if they even did in the first place, like Avicularia spp. and Psalmopoeus spp.
And why does Africa have so little true arboreal spiders (as opposed to opportunistic). We have trees. Good trees. And riverine forests with prey items etc.

I am sure I read somewhere that if it needs be that the Avicularia spp will also kick, but its not the same as with the other genu. The bristles on the avics more just fall off, making it not so effective... maybe thats why they have their poop canon....

You have some very awesome questions there... may someone shed us some light.

Sent with Uncle Charlie's Pokie machine

Quickly giving it some hack thought with absolutely no knowledge and overly generous generalization I think that:

NW Arboreals have too much air flow up there for the hairs to be effective, or it is simply more efficient to use their agility++ to run instead of stay and kick hairs. Or birds that eat them attack so quickly it doesn't matter.

Arid OW terrestrials need potent venom to ensure they kill what they bite so they can consume it, because the next prey item may only come around in a month or two. NW's have such an abundance of prey and huge size that it doesn't matter if the prey escapes and most damage is mechanical anyway.

OW terrestrials burrow deep and stay there. Is safe and makes kicking redundant, plus aggressive foot slapping does the job well enough.

Marius wrote: Quickly giving it some hack thought with absolutely no knowledge and overly generous generalization I think that:

NW Arboreals have too much air flow up there for the hairs to be effective, or it is simply more efficient to use their agility++ to run instead of stay and kick hairs. Or birds that eat them attack so quickly it doesn't matter.

Arid OW terrestrials need potent venom to ensure they kill what they bite so they can consume it, because the next prey item may only come around in a month or two. NW's have such an abundance of prey and huge size that it doesn't matter if the prey escapes and most damage is mechanical anyway.

OW terrestrials burrow deep and stay there. Is safe and makes kicking redundant, plus aggressive foot slapping does the job well enough.

I think that is the best answer we'll get (unless uncle Stan pitches in)

Nah, not an answer. Wild speculation. I think anybody else's speculations are as good as or better than mine unless they have some background knowledge. Where's Phran?