CLAREMONT, Calif., April 3 (UPI) — When it gets stiflingly hot, most of the world slows down. Not tarantulas. The hairy spiders kick into the fastest gear when the quicksilver rises.
According to a new study by student researchers at California’s Claremont Colleges, Texas brown tarantulas clock their best running speeds at higher temperatures.
The researchers — hailing from Harvey Mudd and Pitzer colleges — observed tarantula specimens scuttling across a hard surface at a variety of temperatures, all temps they might encounter in their natural habitat. When the thermostat was turned all the way up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, the spiders topped out at speeds 2.5 times faster than those clocked at a cool 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
The reason, scientists say, is because tarantulas don’t contract muscles and extend limbs to run. They inflate their joints with a fluid called haemolymph to straighten their legs. The viscosity of haemolymph is directly affected by temperature.
“I’ve always wanted to study spiders because they use hydraulics,” researcher Anna Ahn, from Harvey Mudd College, said in a press release.
The hydraulic system was able to ramp up speeds at high temperatures, researchers found, but not without a drawback. The less viscous, free-flowing joint fluid enabled blistering speeds, but it also hampered coordination.
“Hydraulic extension may allow spiders to save space and mass in their limb, but it may come at the expense of control,” Ahn added.
The research was published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
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