Tarantula At school?

[kirsty smith]

I thought i was doing something good toward the understanding of how great tarantulas are etc, allowing my 12yr old daughter to take the exuvium (hope thats the correct term!) into her science class,only to get a phone call from the school going on about animal cruelty etc!!, i have to say the teacher felt a bit silly when i explained it was only the "shed skin" & not the actual spider!
I cant believe that they would think anybody in their right mind would let a child take a live tarantula into school!,was i wrong thinking i was helping children learn a wee bit about T,s?( i gave Lauren the books to take in too!)
One last thing,if someone could/would be kind enough to post a close up pic of male (G.rosea if poss?!)"hooks" i would be extremely gratefull!. Thankyou

[Peter Lacey]

LOL, certainly not wrong, but you've obviously come across the usual perceptions held by many - cruel and dangerous! (hold on I think I need a few more of these !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I bet the teacher realised the mistake and felt a right Wally! Must admit however they are quite convincing, tee-hee!

The only concern I'd have, and hopefully someone can answer this properly, is the urticating bristles. When I first observed the exuvium (yes you got it right) about 10 years ago it was obvious how delicate it was. Now I know that the bristles can cause irritation I just wonder if this is passed on via the exuvium as well as the living body.

[Colin D Wilson]

Kirsty, welcome to the world of the uneducated, Your mission, should you choose to take it, is to put them on the right track.

Peter, yep i've had an itchy hand or two from exuviums, more usually the freshly moulted ones.

If i take any exuviums in for show and tell i always explain about the spiders origins, habitat, general housekeeping and their defence mechanisms first. this then protects the children from any reactions from handling it (as they dont) and saves my exuviums for the next time by not getting crushed by heavy handed little 'uns.

[Phil Rea]

LOL, certainly not wrong, but you've obviously come across the usual perceptions held by many - cruel and dangerous! (hold on I think I need a few more of these !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I bet the teacher realised the mistake and felt a right Wally! Must admit however they are quite convincing, tee-hee!

The only concern I'd have, and hopefully someone can answer this properly, is the urticating bristles. When I first observed the exuvium (yes you got it right) about 10 years ago it was obvious how delicate it was. Now I know that the bristles can cause irritation I just wonder if this is passed on via the exuvium as well as the living body.

Urticaceous setae are still present on shed skins. When the spider moults it grows new setae underneath the old skin which is why a spider with a bald abdomen from kicking hairs will have a nice silky abdomen after moulting

[Mark Pennell]

One last thing,if someone could/would be kind enough to post a close up pic of male (G.rosea if poss?!)"hooks" i would be extremely gratefull!. Thankyou

Kirsty
I think everyone covered the school comments so here is the link you need.

http://thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm

cheers
Mark

[Peter Lacey]

Urticaceous setae are still present on shed skins. When the spider moults it grows new setae underneath the old skin which is why a spider with a bald abdomen from kicking hairs will have a nice silky abdomen after moulting

Thanks Phil. I realised the setae was still there I just wasn't sure how easily it would detach from the exuvium (as opposed to the living body) and whether it continued to present the issues of airborne bristles/hair. Actually I find it fascinating that a T can shed not only its skin/skeleton, fangs and hairs but also its lungs, stomach pump and in the case of females, its reproductive organs. Now that's what I call a face lift. Its also interesting to note what Schultz infers, if males could continue molting would they live as long as females?

Thanks for that link Mark, boy do I have some bed time reading! Its like being back at school, cough cough

[Phil Rea]

Thanks Phil. I realised the setae was still there I just wasn't sure how easily it would detach from the exuvium (as opposed to the living body) and whether it continued to present the issues of airborne bristles/hair. Actually I find it fascinating that a T can shed not only its skin/skeleton, fangs and hairs but also its lungs, stomach pump and in the case of females, its reproductive organs. Now that's what I call a face lift. Its also interesting to note what Schultz infers, if males could continue molting would they live as long as females?

Thanks for that link Mark, boy do I have some bed time reading! Its like being back at school, cough cough

They will detach just as easily, although not spontaneously I shouldn't think.

Someone sent me a skin to sex a while ago in a screw top pot, but the skin itself was enclosed in a plastic bag. When I took it out of the bag, I certainly knew it wasn't an old world tarantula! I think my hand itched for quite a while after that

It's fascinates me too, it's such a remarkable process. As I continue to learn more and more, nature never ceases to amaze me.

[Ray Gabriel]

Strange how some schools are, my partners school has a "bug club" where our inverts go in one species per week.

For the spider week it will be split into two week one they will get a skin to soak in warm water then speread it out to dry, then the rest of that class is snails and millipedes, then week 2 is where they do spiders with each pupil (around 20) using the skins they have previously relaxed and set.

There might even be a couple of live spiders for them to see.

Ray

[Rebecca Burrett]

my 3yr old son takes tarantula books into nursary with him sometimes, and tells his teachers all about them. They seemed quite intrested and asked more about them, leading to them taking my collection of stick insects for the other children to care for and watch{with supervision of course}.

[Richard Shah]

I'm def. bringing my T.'s excuvium into school lol!!!!

[Colin D Wilson]

Go for it Richard,

I always say education is one of the highest awards in personal achievement, and am always making people aware of their natural surroundings, some of which even take the plunge and buy a reptile or arachnid and enter the hobby.

You never know.......one of those you introduce into the hobby could be the next great taxonomist or discoverers of the future.

Could even be you !!!


Colin

[Richard Shah]

Go for it Richard,

I always say education is one of the highest awards in personal achievement, and am always making people aware of their natural surroundings, some of which even take the plunge and buy a reptile or arachnid and enter the hobby.

You never know.......one of those you introduce into the hobby could be the next great taxonomist or discoverers of the future.

Could even be you !!!


Colin

Not likely, since I'm already doing my career - script writing and film directing; although if those two happen to fail, my other two ambitions are Criminal Patholagy, and as a third but broad option - business. Directing and Patholagy are my main two however.
But yes, you could certainly be right lol! However only one of my mates would actually get one, all the others think it is cool but still wonder why I would want one!

[kirsty smith]

Just wanted to say thank-you to mark for posting the pics,i definetly know for sure that my g.rosea is male! now i know why "she" has chicken legs!!!!! lol!

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

Ah, teaching and the 'PC' age! They were probably worried about another parent on hearing about the 'spider skin at school' reporting the school to the RSPCA (that is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Arachanids, of course, LOL) and then there being a law suit and lots of money involved and how that would affect OfSted etc.....

My husband teaches, I did too for a bit (science of course, my hubby is RS but I forgive him) so I know the score! Health and Safety committees, reactive parents - the works!

Still the idea that she thought you might have actually risked life and limb (well okay, limb) and spent the time to SKIN a live T is quite amusing! I wonder how she thought you may have gone about it!?

It is time to teach the teachers! That's all I can say!

[Nicola Dolby]

When I worked for the Cheshire Conservation Trust we used to have an education depaertment which went into schools and explained all about the subject to the children. Why doesn't the BTS set up an education project, possibly in conjunction with a local zoo, as a pilot project and see how it goes? You can expand it to include invertibrates in general so as not to keep things in too narrow a field if that is a concern.