If Tarantulas Are NOT True Spiders, Then What Are They?

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Spiders are a diverse and somewhat misunderstood group of arachnids. Recently I was taught that tarantulas are not spiders. Is that true? What is a spider? What is a "true spider"? And how are they all related?
#clintsreptiles #spider #tarantula
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Attribution: docs.google.com/document/d/1v...
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Clint is a professional biologist and educator, but above all, Clint LOVES reptiles and he loves to share that love with everyone he meets. Whether you're lover or a hater of reptiles, you can't help but get excited with Clint!
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[@ClintsReptiles]

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[@OmegaPaladin144]

Given that you werte talking about the male reproductive system, I was expecting an ad for ManScaped...

[@peachxtaehyung]

​@@OmegaPaladin144 lol

[@Azreal357]

Bro, get someone to tuckpoint that wall before it falls on you.

[@gshaindrich]

with all the tangent about people spreading missinformation because they don´t know any better, it highly hypocritical to then do the classic usamerican thing to ignore the rest of the world and history and don´t even mention that ~true trarantulas ARE true spiders, whereas what most people call tarantulas are NOT tarantulas. But obviously there is no need for an usamerican university graduate to give a thought to Linne and why he named organisms the way he did. ->en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycosa_tarantula

[@joeking3057]

Hi Clint, my rescue tegu helped me think of a video idea I would love to see. When would you consider gutloading feeder mice? What situations could you see where that might be necessary? Maybe different diet for different circumstances or species. My theory is that I can help get my tegu to eat the healthy stuff by gut loading mice and feeding them to it. Mice are the only thing he has eaten when given. Other than that he eats when he wants to. That way I can combine his seemingly high drive for mice with small infusion of berries and lettuce.

[@risel56]

If you or a loved one was bitten by an arachnid of the clade Mesothelae, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

[@KatieDeGo]

I could hear this at 3am infomercial voice

[@karyngriffin7207]

Lol that's hilarious

[@ghiajohnson1547]

🤣👏🤣👏

[@RockyP77]

Haha! You win the internet today

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

From the other spiders? Whom do I speak too.

[@Kelisic]

"...even though anything that is a spider, truly is a spider, even if it isn't a 'true' spider." This statement perfectly represents this channel. 😂😊

[@darcieclements4880]

It perfectly represents biology. There are so many cases of this statement you just swap out the word spider for something else. Really I blame common names that get used in place of just using the real scientific name. There's so many common names that are true something or other instead of just using the Latin name. It adds so much confusion where there doesn't need to be any. True bugs comes to mind as one of the larger headaches, but the true spiders have always been my biggest pet peeve out of this bad naming so I'm really glad that Clint made a video on it.

[@AVDB95]

Common names are misleading as they were made before we did properly understand how all species are related to eachoter and that convergent evolution occurs, meaning that simular creatures might not be closely related afterall. Withing fishkeeping eels are a great example. Almost anything that has a long slender body gets called an eel while a lot off these species aren't eels at all. The only true eels are Anguilliformes which includes moray eels, congers, american eels,... The well known electric eel doesn't belong in this group and is actually a knifefish which are more closely related to tetra's, carps and catfish.

[@Hunterr8]

It perfectly represents "science."

[@custos3249]

In all fairness, we have things called "sea cucumbers" and many, many other examples like "Tasmanian tigers" and "social scientists," so I get where taxonomists are coming from.

[@choreomaniacle]

Poetic

[@seaoftranquility7228]

Fun fact: although it’s a classic example of the spider species and in fact is often the first thing that springs to mind when visualising spiders, the tarantula is actually a type of horse.

[@NeutralDrow]

Only if they belong to the order Sleipniridae, mind you.

[@heinzketchup4558]

@@NeutralDrowthat joke took me a second to understand.

[@NeutralDrow]

@@heinzketchup4558 I'm just happy someone did. I was second-guessing myself all the way up to hitting "Reply."

[@seaoftranquility7228]

@@NeutralDrow I had to look it up. You learn something new every day.

[@Teape_a]

Waittttttt what?

[@23SquareHead]

I never got the talk from my parents but im glad i got the spider talk from you

[@conditionallyunconditional5691]

When I was stationed in north Texas, I went fishing on red river with a local civilian. We set up, had our gear out and lines in. After a lil while, I noticed a tarantula had crawled onto my open tackle box. I never saw one in the wild like this. My friend said they were just curious. I said "they"? He said, " yeah, look around more closely". When I did, I saw at least a dozen or more, just watching us. It didnt creep me out because Im not afraid of them. But it was amusing to witness such docile creatures. They hung out with us for several hours, until we left. I'll never forget that day.

[@DruNature]

wow that's incredible!

[@uropygid]

There was a time when such a scene would have triggered me into a killing rampage. Thankfully, I have grown beyond that.

[@taleandclawrock2606]

Petko from Dark Den needs to visit.....❤

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

No. THEY’S incredible. @@DruNature

[@shieldgenerator7]

that's so cool!

[@Kyle_Schaff]

“I guess somebody thought these were mammals as well” Every line from you is either information or comedic gold

[@toolbaggers]

So these are reptile's?

[@kenichiotaku3693]

Or both.

[@r.d.x7403]

Them spiders have taken 'smash and dash' to a whole new level.

[@YochevedDesigns]

Some spider breeders will overfeed their female before introducing the male. If she's too full, she won't eat him. As soon as the deed is done, the male is taken out of the enclosure, just in case the female starts thinking there's room for dessert!

[@Hrrrrrrrrrreng]

It’s better than the ladies being man eaters, literally.

[@hope_xo_xo]

Hearing Clint say “sometimes he ties her up” really made me giggle😭

[@xXxNecroDancerxXx]

the way he said it and just MOVED on as if it wasn't giggle inducing sent me

[@melissatennis6960]

Slipped that right in 😅

[@m0-m0597]

bonk

[@intergalactic92]

Am I the only one who rewound to make sure I’d heard it correctly (and to see if there was an accompanying image)?

[@ast8177]

"There is no worse feeling than being eaten alive with your pedipalps full" Truer words have never been said *We did it, we hit 1K on like on this random comment. I will now brag about this achievement to boost my self-esteem online, Thx alot !!!

[@hunterkarr5618]

That’s a bad day for sure

[@DMZZ_DZDM]

Being blue balled and cannibalised at the same time has to suck

[@sreace723]

😂😂😂😂

[@12...]

that sounds kinda hot tbh

[@cassowary30]

​@@12...no horny

[@jtmcgee]

"There is no worse feeling than being eaten alive with your palpal bulbs full" -Clint There should be a book of prose derived from this channel.

[@ClintsReptiles]

I'd buy it!

[@timapiepgrass8702]

You never finished sharing the Clint-isms that the student compiled for you. I'm not saying you should, I just think about that sometimes.

[@user-zh4vo1kw1z]

Biologists truly are youtube-algorithm ninjas.

[@jacobrodrig8]

As someone with arachnophobia I dont know why im watching this as i have been so uncomfortable and freaking out the entire time, but at the same time the information is so good i can't stop watching. Im just glad its over.

[@brianjones9780]

Your brain differentiates between that which is uncomfortable because it's annoying, like a rock in your shoe, and uncomfortable because it's dangerous and worth learning more about. It's the reason murder documentaries are so entertaining even if they're disturbing. Learning about dangerous things is rewarded with dopamine because it may increase your chances of survival to be informed.

[@GrimoireOfTheSage]

I was the same way(though I don't think I would quite qualify for a arachnophobia diagnosis, but that doesn't mean I won't freak it just isn't quite phobia level freaking), so when he went all 'lets enjoy the marvel of spiders', I verbally said 'uhh. . . no'. Figured that was the end of the video. Scrubbed through to the end.

[@brianjones9780]

People are fascinated to learn about that which they're afraid of, because it increases chances of survival to be informed.

[@BlacksmithTWD]

Exposure therapy?

[@givemespace2742]

At least you will be well educated about something you are not comfortable with. No harm in that.😊

[@erictaylor5462]

When I was working for the concretions on Death Valley National Monument (before it was upgraded to a National Park) I did volunteer work interpretive rangers. I had a little lecture on the ghost towns in and around Death Valley. After the lecture I would invite guests to ask questions and on day this older guy asked some really good questions. Then he asked about one particular "fact" I had. I'd gotten 95% of my information from one particular book on the human history of the area. It was a very very good book and everyone told me the author really knew what he has talking about. When I mentioned the book the guy said he didn't think that fact came from that book. Now, I had already learned not to argue with guests, but if they said something was wrong, just to say, "I'll look that up." In this case I was really glad for that, as I was speaking to the author of that book. I offered to buy the guy lunch, and it was one of the best lunch "dates" I'd ever had. He did say that my presentation was quite good, other than that one mistake. He even signed my copy of the book! Fantastic person.

[@0037kevin]

How is this relevant to spiders?

[@RickJaeger]

It's relevant to informational presentations.

[@helmsscotta]

Quickest way to get the straight dope is to say something wrong to the nerd that knows.

[@stuchly1]

I love the way Clint's eyes glimmer with joy when he talks about creepy crawlies and the intricacies of their reproduction. 😁👍

[@timapiepgrass8702]

He reminds me of Dr. Who finding a slimy alien in a sewer and licking it. I don't love all creatures but I love how much Clint does!

[@KeyClavis]

Yeah... the sheer glee in his voice when he said that he thought he should talk more about the pedipalps and testes...

[@jack-a-lopium]

I'm happy he's on our side.

[@OneEyedJack1970]

It's just the nerd in him.

[@ravensnflies8167]

"There is no worse feeling than dying with your palpal bulbs full." ~Clint Laidlaw, 2023 this quote has been immortalized.

[@wesleysmith187]

The most frustrating part is neither the spiders, nor the tarantulas have spoken up to clear the air.

[@tekurohamada7068]

I love how diverse spiders are, and I also love how my curiosity is slowly overcoming my fear of those little guys, thank you for the great content, truly mindboggling and awesome.

[@TotallyNoCat]

Clint is a certified legend. He's the G.O.A.T of the animal genre on KZbin. True professor.

[@ClintsReptiles]

Thank you! That's high praise.

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

His adult level would be Bugs & Biology (eg more crude humor).

[@akumaking1]

@@ClintsReptileshello. Have you ever talked about crab spiders? I think that would be an interesting episode (Eg how did they get that name, evolution, are they good pets, etc)

[@davidfrank6666]

he may be a true professor, but he, may not truly be, a professor.

[@vicslav4030]

​@ClintsReptiles You know a human females reproductive system is remarkably similar to a spider. They both have fangs ecsetra ecsetra... They both eat the male, the male is smaller than the female... are women true spiders?

[@bebop_557]

This popped up in my recommendations, as someone who probably falls into the "ignorant" category you mentioned, I thought the male spider absolutely had to be eaten for the mating process of pretty much any spider. I wasn't expecting to watch a video at near 10pm after a few drinks that made me go "damn, today I learned something I would never have otherwise". Quality content, and that is a beautiful emperor scorpion you have!

[@boxsterman77]

Ah but the question becomes, will you remember it?

[@jleer6178]

I'm always trying to convince my female tarantulas that matings are Tinder hook-ups and not dinner dates.

[@graysonwilliams4826]

Your female tarantulas wonder why they can’t be both!

[@donaldhysa4836]

Guy looks and sounds like an older Frodo Baggins trying to cope with his trauma from the Shelob encounter in Mordor

[@WarMaker777]

How have I gone this whole time without knowing Clint's last name is Laidlaw? This man lays down the law on nature 😂

[@corvid...]

😂 'well hi there! You're about to get laid-lawed'

[@wildflower1397]

😂😂😂

[@paulaccuardi9071]

Is he related to Marc Laidlaw?

[@morefurless]

I see that wingedwolf pfp

[@Muenni]

Bob Loblaw lobs law bombs, but Blaid Laidlaw lays aid laws! Wait, what were we talking about?

[@rachelblake2350]

My entire life, I have found "true spiders" incredibly creepy, and yet never really felt the same way about tarantulas. It's absolutely fascinating to realise that my brain could recognize a fundamental difference between them and true spiders without me even knowing what that difference is.

[@napoleon6221]

I’ve been the same way before, I think a big factor in it is that the only time I’ve ever seen tarantulas in real life they were pets and cool.

[@Thulgore]

You have issues with jumping spiders? I agree with you though =P

[@rachelblake2350]

@@Thulgore no, jumpies are cool with me with their cute little faces. I grew up in the Middle East, and jumpies were the biggest thing you had to deal with. We came home to the UK every summer and for two months of the year I had to deal with house spiders the size of the house itself. I honestly think it's the hydraulic movement of "true spiders". Jumpies don't have it really, tarantulas are all slow and methodical, but "true spiders" are erratic and and unpredictable and skittery.

[@-UPGRADE-]

You sure did assume alot

[@rachelblake2350]

@@-UPGRADE- uhhhhh such as?

[@repstylegaming9730]

They’re not the true spiders. They’re the superior spiders.

[@Spectrum0122]

"It's easier to lie to someone than it is to convince someone they've been lied to" I know you mentioned misinformation, but I felt this applied

[@ImminentAl]

The real scandal is that the name tarantula originates from the large wolf spiders found nearly the city of Taranto in Southern Italy. They are now not considered tarantulas even though they provided the name. The Theraphosidae should get their own name

[@maximillianlylat1589]

Theres a similar situation with penguins and auks. The great auk was the original bird named the penguin even tho it was an auk species and not what is now considered a penguin. Theres still auks like the puffins that are mistaken as penguins. Unfortunately the great auk was hunted to extinction, so not even the original penguin is still around.

[@Evergreen_Wizard]

In some languages (such as my own) it is to this day scientifically correct to refer to wolf spiders as tarantulas and the mygalomorph tarantulas are instead called “bird-eating spiders”. This gives me a little bit of a headache when talking to friends online in english vs IRL in my own language, because you sometimes need to ask to clarify what kind of “tarantula” are they referring to.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

​@@maximillianlylat1589well, you could say they sorted out the problem! (Sad)

[@stoyantodorov2133]

@@maximillianlylat1589 De-extinction technology can't come soon enough. It makes my blood boil when an animal has become extinct due to human related causes in the last few centuries.

[@davidbio1]

This happened a long time ago and later the name was used for any kind of big spiders, including Theraposidae. What you said is also related to the dance "tarantela" used to "eliminate" the venom of the victim that was bitten by the spider. I like this dance, is very beautiful, although is not so common these days.

[@morphman86]

Why are jumping spiders so adorable close up? I just want to hug them, and pet them, and squeeze them, and call them George!

[@Imsorrywat]

Hey my dad said that to me when I was small a lot!

[@morphman86]

@@Imsorrywat Then he probably grew up with Looney Tunes as well 😀

[@mischavanasperen3063]

There is 'Lucas The Spider'.. You might like him. He even has plushies!

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@morphman86It comes from Of Mice And Men; an old book with an ableist plot line of a mentally “slow” man who has killed pet mice, rabbits, puppy, and also a lady by squeezing them to death. The man has a brother named George who shoots him at the end. Very disturbing book.

[@morphman86]

@@princesspikachu3915 The book is poignant, not disturbing. And if Looney Tunes were referencing that book, they did quite a bad job with it. Their other references were on the nose and extremely obvious.

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

I had a tarantula when I was a teenager. My Mom found him on his back one day & told me that he died. Good thing that I suspected he was probably just molting. She nearly threw him out into the dustbin. I'm glad I got to him before she did! I guarantee you that she would have let out a *TRUE SCREAM* when she saw my tarantula climbing out a few days later & running across the floor.

[@c2099]

My friend, you are so intense with educating, that I cannot help but to partake in your passion. To quote Jason Nesmith, "Never give up, never surrender" Keep on doing your passion. I enjoy the heck out of it.

[@ClintsReptiles]

I see that you are familiar with the historical records. Thank you so much!

[@thejestor9378]

This feels like discussions on Crab, cause you have two groups of crabs, one of which is called True Crabs. These groups have distinctive differences, but are all still crabs, as opposed to actual false crabs which are non-crabs that look like crabs.

[@dplocksmith91]

Progress to crab!

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

Crab form is the best form.

[@tulliusexmisc2191]

There are five different lineages of crustacea - all decapods - that look like crabs and are called 'crabs' in English. One - Brachyura - is the true crabs. Plus there are one or two more extinct crablike groups, and as a bonus, horseshoe crabs which (as mentioned in this video) are not even crusteaceans.

[@thejestor9378]

@@tulliusexmisc2191 There is also a group that is just called False Crabs, the anomarans, the sister group of the True crabs, and the ones that have a distinct difficult time to differentiate between the two since most of the features you could use to differentiate them aren’t exclusive to either group entirely. They also form a single clade, clade Meiura. These two are closer to eachother than to any other group of decapod. This is why calling the members of the False Crabs, crabs, isn’t scientifically speaking wrong either.

[@Colorista_1]

I’ve always known that there was a difference between true spiders 🕷️ and tarantulas. Unfortunately, I have asked, and until today, no one has ever explained this. Thank you, Clint!

[@tycarne7850]

You may have known it, but you were wrong. Tarantulas are of the order Mesothelae, one of the two suborders of spiders (the other, Opisthothelae, being divided into two infraorders); they are, quite literally, true spiders, being, as they are, spiders.

[@vastabyss6496]

@@tycarne7850 my guy did not watch the video. While it is true that Tarantulas are spiders, they are NOT _true_ spiders, as true spiders only consist of the infraorder Araneomorphae

[@tycarne7850]

@@vastabyss6496The video is flat out wrong, as are you. Well done.

[@vastabyss6496]

@@tycarne7850 a quick search on the internet says otherwise

[@judewakefield7213]

​@tycarne7850 Yeah I have to agree with you. Unless there are major revisions happening to spider cladistics it looks like tarantulas are true spiders.

[@meandogassbite]

Just stumbled onto this vid and must say Clint's enthusiasm just makes this incredibly amazing. I really enjoyed the vid an will look into more of what is out there from Clint's reptiles.

[@dementiasorrow]

I love the touch of insanity in his eyes 😂

[@TheRexisFern]

I'm eternally thankful that zefrank preloaded me with some spider knowledge. It helps cement the more technical aspects that Clint and the team teach me!

[@KatieDeGo]

A Clint and Ze Frank (and Jerry haha) collab would be amazing

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

​@@KatieDeGoomg yes!

[@SkyeSpider]

I spent 7 years in college studying spider cladistics (specializing in tarantulas). If my final college hadn’t wasted my time and all my funding while denying my disability accommodations, I would have been cleaning these groups up for several years now. This was my absolute passion. Thanks for a good spider video 💜🕷️

[@DarthCiliatus]

I'm currently working through college with that same goal.

[@SkyeSpider]

@@DarthCiliatus I hope you have better luck than me! Also, keep me in mind when you get to Avicularinae 😊

[@datch8044]

I really want to get into this going into college! Any good recommendations for starting?

[@themidcentrist]

@@datch8044 Figure out what your post college career is realistically going to pay, and what your chances of being hired will realistically be. Then figure out how much you will have to pay to receive your education and how much you will need to borrow in student loans. Do a cost benefit analysis and decide if it will all be worth it. If you can pay off your loans in what you consider a reasonable amount of time while still living reasonably well on your salary, GREAT! If you are borrowing $120K for a 30K per year job, RUN!

[@Superabound2]

You look EXACTLY what i would expect someone who devoted their life to spiders would look like

[@emexdizzy]

I love everything about how you present these lessons, this is wonderful, instant subscribe

[@efebrahim]

You have been good for a while, but lately even better. Love you and this channel.

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

I'm not sure what's worse, the lengthy discussion about freaky spider sex, or the fact that I already knew most of it.

[@petoperceptum]

I don't think I'm ever going to not find spiders viscerally terrifying, but you are good at reminding me they are also fascinating.

[@exeterjedi6730]

This is more instances of hearing the word 'spider' than I'm entirely comfortable with.

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

If it looks like a spawn of Ungoliant, it's a spider.

[@ShyyGaladriel]

Nerrrrrrd (says the person with “Galadriel” in their username)

[@Evangelium]

Clint, thank you for speaking in biological nomenclature. Facts are easier to translate when we are using universal terms.

[@lahlybird895]

Sadly this is less true if you're blind and are therefore trying to figure out what the heck he's talking about while he goes on and on about body parts with gigantic names that I do not know the meanings of :(

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

@@lahlybird895 By learning. How do you think you know normal limb names AND type text on YT?

[@lahlybird895]

@@Vicus_of_Utrecht considering I'm trying to watch a video I'm not going to pause at every 5 seconds to Google each word he sang especially because I don't know how to spell or pronounce most of them. I'm trying to figure them out through context, but that doesn't always work.

[@viceb7]

​@@lahlybird895maybe the captions can help you get a bunch of keywords to look up and then watch the video with more context?

[@lahlybird895]

@@viceb7 I'm blind

[@DeadNotSleeping789]

For those who don't know, only the insect order of hemiptera (cicadas, stinkbugs, and bedbugs are a few) are known as "true bugs" in entomology. I'd love to hear what people consider "bugs" to be. Do spiders count? How about worms? Slugs and snails? What about crabs? I love hearing where people draw the line!

[@hexalm]

I think all hexapoda, including the technically-not-insects groups, are bugs. It seems like myriapoda also. I kind of feel like it's got to have legs to be a bug, so no mollusks. But land-dwelling isopoda should also be bugs. Aquatic crustaceans can definitely be called "sea bugs", if you ask me. Spiders?? Maybe, but I was influenced from an early age to be pedantic about hemiptera "bugs" though. (Can we all agree that "True bug" is not a very useful term?)

[@DeadNotSleeping789]

@@hexalm I've never liked hemiptera being caller "true bugs" generally, but I do love that the concept helps me ask this question. Thank you for your answer! It was very well put.

[@flamencoprof]

You describe exactly why I wonder why people use the term. It seems like a wilful refusal to understand things, and just lump anything small together.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Usually i only call stink bugs, beetles and bedbugs bugs, i forget Beetles aren't true bugs

[@DeadNotSleeping789]

@@jesusramirezromo2037 That's interesting. Are you working on fixing that, or do you think you'll hold onto the habit because it works for you?

[@therealdebater]

8:55 "There is no worse feeling than being eaten alive with your palpal bulbs full." --- Frankly, I can relate.

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Man not even two minutes in and the word "spider" has lost all meaning.

[@re11235813213455er]

About 1:43 it's gone

[@bola5671]

That beginning is so true. Teaching a miseducated person is much more difficult than teaching someone that already knows they don't know

[@Wicked_Knight]

As an arachniphob, I couldn't really watch this video, but I did listen to it as I can't miss out on a single "lesson" from whom I colloquially refer to as Professor Clint, unless im suggesting the channel ofcorse. Enjoyed the listen, no matter how many shivers it sent down my spine.😅

[@barrybarlowe5640]

I always like his presentations. Fun and informative.

[@acornman17]

Loving the somewhat awkward but adorable enthusiasm with which he describes universally appalling things so nonchalantly 😊

[@psxtuneservice]

I wish I would have teachers like him

[@user-mu7gh2kj6d]

It’s not at all awkward weirdo

[@ZoeBellCake]

Its incredible how little we still know about spiders. Thanks so much for shedding a little light on this fascinating species!

[@adiabeticjedi3278]

I love how excited you are about what your saying. it looks like happy.

[@lucienskinner-savallisch5399]

I'd love to see more montages of the species you cover like how you did it here for the spiders. It really gives a great perspective of diversity within a clade

[@Gigipretty64]

And it’s pretty spider porn 😊

[@ImmacHn]

The term "Tergite Armor" sounds amazing.

[@brianjones9780]

It sounds like a unit's upgrade in a real time strategy game

[@gcewing]

It ranks somewhere between studded leather armour and plot armour.

[@capnmoby13]

At a reptile expo I once had a tarantula breeder tell me that because they are tarantulas, they aren't spiders.

[@albirtarsha5370]

I once knew all of this stuff. Thank you for this wonderful refresher!

[@slugmaster64]

I have to admit, dying with blue bulbs would really suck.

[@gabbermensch]

This might just be a British thing, but we call Araneae "Ancient Spiders" rather than "true spiders"...it's also quite easy to remember the Order as it sounds like a Canadian describing how he escaped a moose....

[@zebedeemadness2672]

Same for me all in Araneae are true spiders, to part them from other Arachnids holding the spider name such as Ricinulei (Tick-spiders), Solifugae (Camel-spider, Sun-spider), Amblypygi (Whip-spider) etc. Spider is basically derived from meaning spinner, of course referring to web/silk. So all Tarantulas are Spiders but not all Spiders are Tarantulas pretty much.

[@gabbermensch]

@@zebedeemadness2672 Yes, that's a good way to frame it as all apes are monkeys but not all monkeys are apes. The term "monkey" doesn't really mean anything, nor does "ape". They're borrowed or derived words that just sort of means "fck is that thing?!" Because of this, we Classified Chimps as "Pan-Troglodytes" because we thought, at the time, that they were just a weird, unruly sort of human...ahhh..you can't beat the Classic Racism of Britain in Africa during the 1800s...So, to my point, I think we should avoid circular definitions ...but with spiders...that sort of gets you tangled in a linguistic web...MWAHAHAHAAAA...clever girls, indeed...

[@dpr9921]

Isn't it a little bit ironic that the "ancient spiders" are the most recent and preserve the least number of primitive features among all known spiders?

[@gabbermensch]

@@dpr9921 Yes, and that gets us into the taxonomy of Taxonomy, I prefer the descriptor of "local or immediate development" then you can sort of work out a line and it leaves space for outliers. It's never going to be perfect, we pretty much worked with Linneaus forever and he was...hmmm...kinda horny all the time...but even the "taxonomic standard" is relatively new, in the West it was formalised at the beginning of the 1800s...then we discovered Gorillas at the end of the 1800s....So, when we try to pigeon-hole a sub-species we have to be very careful to remember that nature throws up things that are very, very strange to us and they might not quite "fit" perfectly into our Elemental Table Of All Species...so things like Echidnas don't really fit anywhere and what this teaches us is, not that that they have to fit somewhere on the table, but the table is always going to be a bit wobbly.

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@gabbermenschI thought echidnas were related to platypus.

[@SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

I never understood why so many dislike spiders. The only kind I'm a little uncomfortable with in real life is jumping spiders; but that's mainly because they startle me when they jump towards me, and I don't want to accidentally swat them on reflex. But ironically the jumping spiders are some of the cutest looking spiders with their giant round eyes and fuzzy hair all over.

[@gryaznygreeb]

That's funny because jumping spiders are one of the ones I don't mind so much, because I instantly recognize them as harmless. I don't really mind spiders in general, but if they crawl on me I will probably kill them out of instinct. I let them live on my house plants when they build webs there. I figure it will help control any pests, and keep them from building a new web near my bed or shower curtain or something lol.

[@Skrenja]

As a tarantula owner, I am far from arachnophobic but there are _some_ spider species that still give me the creeps. (Brazillian wandering spiders come to mind.)

[@rileyrobin2]

there’s evidence to suggest that the fear of spiders comes partially from an innate fear response we inherited from our ancestors. A lot of people are starting off with a default negative reaction, and then either learn or unlearn that fear depending on upbringing.

[@leandersearle5094]

@@rileyrobin2 That would explain how I (and others) could understand spiders as beneficial and cool, and still find them creepy AF. Animal NIMBYism, if you will.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

​@@rileyrobin2when does this innate fear kick in though? My son who is two next month points at my tarantulas or the spiders living in the garden and calls them 'baba's with a big smile.

[@redslate]

"Sometimes, he ties her up..." Kinky

[@pptemplar5840]

I met a guy who told me very confidently that scorpions weren't arachnids, and he sold them as pets in the past. I didn't argue with him much about it, just told him I'm pretty sure that they are. I still occasionally find my self double checking to reassure myself of what I already know because of that guy, I do the same thing with ticks too. Arachnids are just a mess in general.

[@jonm7512]

So what I’m gathering is to never get in a boxing match with a mature male spider.

[@ClintsReptiles]

That's the main take-home...

[@Breakware]

Well, this explains my phobia of most spiders with the exception of tarantulas and why why I like scorpions. Thank you, Clint.

[@AdaptiveApeHybrid]

This channel is awesome. Ty big homie

[@RaidFiftyOne]

Yesterday I was thinking "ya having a spider put on my arm woulden't be so bad, there usually harmless". After seeing pictures of them in this video I remember why I scream and run away whenever I see one and that no. I would NOT be cool with that.

[@karyngriffin7207]

I would love more on spiders. Thank you for educating others. I had no idea about the more specifics about their mating practices. As you say, super rad!

[@vando6679]

Amazing video Clint. I love our 8 legged friends whether they be truly a spider, a true spider, or truly not a spider. Teaching is truly your calling. You have a wonderful gift of creatively educating. Please don't stop.

[@stco2426]

Lovely. Well presented and described. I've not studied apiders since undergraduate days. Fab video clips and supporting diagrams. Thanks!

[@jamesking2439]

The spiders at 18:40 look almost like an image with the colors inverted. They're amazing.

[@samrizzardi2213]

I'd love it if you did a similar video on foxes. Ever since that "fox-dog hybrid" was revealed last month, I've been trying to explain to people how it doesn't really count, because the parent species wasn't a "true" fox

[@ch3rricola-asmr]

"If tarantulas are not true spiders, then what are they?" They are my friends

[@chadgorosaurus4898]

The tiny spiders like jumping spiders are way scarier than tarantulas

[@stevensaid2200]

After knowing of this for long time and thinking on it. I actually find it kinda poetic that the male spider is willing to give his life to give nutrients to the mother and increase chances of successful egg hatch. Ants Canada recently had a female huntsman spider mate, female ate the male, hatched egg pouch. Then a little while later the female somehow created a second egg pouch by somehow saving sperm or something. Anyways that male gave his 1 live for his mate to have 2 reproductions in the same cycle off of only one single mating. This also happens in praying mantis mating as well. When you think of how harsh the wild is giving your life to give your children that much more chance makes sense, is heroic and poetic.

[@dranorter]

Even if it says "reptiles" in the channel name, it's the taxonomy and nomenclature stuff that really keeps me coming back.

[@bubbajenkins123]

Hi Clint. When educating your audience I like that you use the technical, scientific words for things like “chelicerae”. I think it would be even more helpful if you took a moment to explain the etymological meaning of those terms so people can understand why scientists decided to use them. It is very insightful.

[@egg_bun_]

Oooh YES

[@drhexagonapus]

Didn't he do just that? He said that chelicerae comes from the Latin word for claw, at least that's how I remember it.

[@gryaznygreeb]

It really is fascinating and super helpful. With scientific names too, like the yellowheaded blackbird is xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, literally "yellow head yellow head" Whenever you see tomentosus in a plant name, you know it's hairy. Cordifolia means heart shaped foliage. Sinensis means something is from China, like camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Yarrow is named achillea millefoilum. Achillea because it is antibiotic+ clots blood, and supposedly Achilles used it to heal his troops. Millefolium means feather like foliage, a very apt description of yarrow leaves. Understanding these terms and sometimes even the mythology behind them actually makes it so much easier to understand biology and remember little facts. We have these universal scientific terms for a reason. They make things easier, not harder to understand. People shouldn't fear them!

[@rai1879]

As a linguist.. Yes please

[@kakhipudhi]

Wonderful program.

[@erictaylor5462]

I used to ride my bike up Mont Diablo in Contra Costa County, Ca. It's 3800 foot peak in the north/east SF bay area. It's a fantastic workout going up and a blast coming down. On one ride we started up the mountain and there must have been thousands of tarantulas out. I'd never seen such a spider in the wild before, but there were so many you could not avoid running them over.

[@zulemazahir666]

As a huge enthusiast/fan and keeper of a lot of arachnids, I'm always so stoked when we get an arachnid/spider video from Clint!🖤🕷

[@zacg_]

Congratulations on the Reptile Room opening! I just watched the All Canadian Reptile Girl video about it and it looks fantastic. I had no idea you had a water monitor but that's my dream. I live on the east coast but went to college in Provo so I'll have to find an opportunity to visit the room at some point because it just looks phenomenal.

[@DruNature]

Ive always loved spiders!1 just this last week I was visiting my mom in Florida and a huge hunstman spider on her wall, it was about 3-4 wide, curious fella, I didn't wanna disturb him, but he hung out on the wall for like 18 hours before dissapearing into the depths of my moms house. We had an inspector coming by the house to take pictures though, and I had to get him out of plain sight, so i brushed him with a piece of paper, surprisingly he didn't immediatly flee and I had to coax him into a nice hiding position behind the door. My guess is that I somehow injured him when I was moving furniture/cleaning and he was probably just either playing dead or resting/healing before moving on, or perhaps it did die soon after moving out of sight. either way, I do love observing spider behaviors! fascinating!

[@chaos-goblin]

I love your enthusiasm and thanks for showing me spiders I've never seen before

[@webbrowser6454]

I absolutely love this video. 10+ years keeping tarantulas from every continent and there is soooo many discrepancies when you get down to the nitty gritty. Entire genus' have been reclassified since I've entered the hobby, and so many more are introduced at the family name "Theraphosidae". Ngl, I love it, keeps you engaged!

[@TheBioExplorer]

As a biology educator in South Carolina, there are some common myths and misconceptions I touch on with my students every year. One is the myth that the granddaddy (or daddy) longlegs (as they are often called here) is the most venomous spider but that it's fangs are too small to pierce our skin. The problem is that these are not spiders at all. They are an ancient order within the arachnids but may be more closely related to mites and scorpions than spiders. They have just one body segment; are not venomous; and do not produce webs.. To make it more confusing there ARE cellar spiders locally known by the common name as grand or daddy longlegs. They are better known elsewhere as Harvestmen. They eat dead leaves and other dead organisms.

[@strangecares7966]

@TheBioExplorer - My understanding is that three things are colloquially known as Daddy Longlegs / Granddaddy Longlegs: cellar spiders (family Pholcidae, and definitely spiders); harvestmen (arachnids but not spiders- they look like they have a single oval body segment because they don't have a narrow "waist"); and crane flies (where I'm from, we called these "mosquito hawks"- they're long-legged, but they're flying insects, so they're easy to tell apart from the other "daddy longlegs"). I think you're confusing cellar spiders & harvestmen.

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

I think Mythbusters did a real disservice to the world when they "busted the myth" about daddy long legs. It's been a long time since I watched the episode but they didn't talk about etymology at all and I think they collected a bunch of spiders and spider like arachnids that had long legs. I even remember they didn't all look the same. Loved Mythbusters but it was lazy on their part not to bring in a biologist on that one.

[@TheBioExplorer]

@strangecares7966 No... I was pointing out that locally... people here confuse the Harvestmen (which they call daddy or granddaddy long legs) with cellar spiders. This is the problem with using common names instead of scientific names as common names may vary from place to place... and may be used for different species... but scientific names are unique. For instance, crane flies are called skeeter eaters here.

[@strangecares7966]

@@TheBioExplorer Ahh, I think I see where I misunderstood you. When you said "They are better known elsewhere as Harvestmen." I had interpreted "they" as referring to the sentence immediately before it.

[@TheBioExplorer]

@@strangecares7966 Yep... sorry about the confusion.

[@RobertFierce]

Just fouind your channel and your way of teaching is absolutely genius and fun!

[@japanesepokemoncardsbuydir9657]

Love your presentation style.

[@JojoZXA]

Sir you and your videos are a delight. I'm not a biologist or anything myself, but your enthusiasm and genuine happiness to teach is infectious.

[@jeddracul6]

Id love to see a deep dive on frogs next!! 🤘😎🤘

[@russianvalkyrie2358]

YES OMGOSH !!!

[@ericl2969]

There's even a group within the frogs called "true frogs".

[@TheSmileMile]

Maybe it's just the fact that I watch videos at X2 speed, but the raw footage of spiders is making me anxious.

[@cheru_fishmonster]

"There is no worse feeling than being eaten alive with your palpal bulbs full." Big mood.

[@beclouise8686]

Thnakyou for making this video! I've been recently deep diving into learning about spiders to overcome my fears and they're utterly FASCINATING to me. I've been having conversations with people regarding tarantulas being spiders and this video sums it up so succinctly ❤ Edit *** That little end montage was a TREAT.

[@flamingohurricane7602]

Incredible video! Had many good laughs and learned at the same time. Clint rocks!!

[@AlwaysReason]

Evil grin and psychotic wide-open eyes: "WELL HI THERE"

[@Jo-xn3yp]

Have you ever considered stand up comedy…it’s 12am and I’m in stitches….

[@ashrubber]

Clint is such a gift to us all.

[@ThatGuyNicho]

This was a really interesting and quite entertaining video, Clint. Thank you! You're like the Mister Rogers of animal education!

[@RamadaArtist]

I switched majors away from biology, many, many years ago, and even if I'd stuck with it I would have probably focused on cellular biology rather than zoology. But I tell you what man, something about having this dude excitedly explain spider phylogeny to me is scratching an itch I totally forgot I ever had.

[@dflowers6771]

"he deposits his sperm in the sperm web!!😀" got me 😂😂

[@Eisenwulf666]

Maybe the real spiders were the friends we made along the way..

[@marumiyuhime]

see buddy im a biologist too. i remember back in bio 1 when we talked about the difference of common names like spider, bird , lizard, cow(common cow not indicating female) to scientific names like arachnid, avian, squamate, bovine. see the prior set has less specific meaning or the meaning could be culturally dependent whereas the latin based scientific names latter are specifically(ha ha) defined with a universal exact meaning. spider can mean many things to may different people some could even be wrong. where when i say avian we know exactly what i mean. you are awesome!!!

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

This is why I feel science shouldn't and doesn't own the word "bug". I know logically that insects are not the same as spiders or isopods or crabs and shrimp for that matter. But "bug" IMHO is a layman term that basically refers to any invertebrate with more than 4 legs and gives me the "eek". 🧐

[@vando6679]

@@Hi_Im_Akward actually in a previous video Clint did define for us what a true bug is.

[@Hi_Im_Akward]

@@vando6679 I know, I just think it should be a laymen term not any sort of scientific one. Laymen terms aren't and shouldn't be exact. I don't need a "well technically" when I say shrimp is bug and they eek me out. Get it?

[@johnlittle8975]

I love the way Clint teaches about spider mating. All 7th grade health classes should be taught this way!

[@colindeer9657]

Thank you so much for your fantastic presentation. Loved it. I have yellow and black jewel spiders in my garden all the time. I live on the edge of the Daintree in tropical North Queensland Australia. Just love the pretty little spiders here. Thanks for your very interesting video once again. Cheers. Colin