Brachypelma

Brachypelma

Friday 23 December 2016

The tailess whip scorpion - Damon diadema, just after molting

I got some decent shots of my tailless whip scorpion, Damon diadema, just after it molted this last time.  They are so incredibly different looking just after a molt.  I like these shots because you can see the old exoskeleton, and get a sense of how the whole process works.  I haven't been lucky enough to catch mine at the beginning of a molt.  There is also an amazing video of one of these guys that shows the entire molt, I highly recommend it, complete with super awesome, weird music.  You can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uzuYRY2faQ

I have always wondered, do insects and arachnids that molt have any control over when it happens, or does it simply happen when it happens?  My tarantulas will build complex hammocks to lay in when they molt, so clearly they know it's coming, but can they decide, hey today seems safe, let's do it?  Of course I don't really believe they have a thought process like this, but I still wonder if they have any control at all over when the process begins.

Here are my shots of Critter:


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