Tarantulas Do Not Shoot Silk From Feet

Rainer Foelix challenged previous claims that tarantulas secrete silk from their feet to stabilize themselves during falls. By examining the hair structures on tarantula feet using light and scanning electron microscopy, Foelix found that these hairs had characteristics of chemoreceptors, not silk-producing spigots. The hairs featured a distal pore typical of chemoreceptors, and the secretions observed were likely lymph rather than silk. Experiments showed that the trails left by the feet were composed of droplets, not continuous silk threads. Foelix concluded that tarantulas do not produce silk from their feet, suggesting the secretions are not silk but rather a fluid associated with chemosensory function.