Why do spiders curl up when they die?
Discussion
OllieWinchester said:
No idea to your question, but in a similar vein, what the hell do woodlice do when they have curled themselves into a ball? I watched one curl up the other day on a paving slab, when he uncurled he was on his back and seemed to have no way to right himself.
Hah, had forgotten those things even existed..I'd imagine cleaning / maintenance / sleeping?
OllieWinchester said:
No idea to your question, but in a similar vein, what the hell do woodlice do when they have curled themselves into a ball? I watched one curl up the other day on a paving slab, when he uncurled he was on his back and seemed to have no way to right himself.
[phreply]Giving itself a 'treat'.
[/phreply]
OllieWinchester said:
No idea to your question, but in a similar vein, what the hell do woodlice do when they have curled themselves into a ball? I watched one curl up the other day on a paving slab, when he uncurled he was on his back and seemed to have no way to right himself.
Animal instinct to been scared. Humans tend to do it too. Ever noticed when people are full of fear they try to make themselves smaller, where as when you are being aggresive you try make yourself appear bigger.Do all hedgehogs still curl up when threatened ? I can remember finding one a few years ago and it belted around the park like a whippet trying to escape, I wondered if hedgehogs were developing escape skills via natural selection as curling up into a ball ( say in the middle of a road ) isn`t the best action to surviving
Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
Pobolycwm said:
Do all hedgehogs still curl up when threatened ? I can remember finding one a few years ago and it belted around the park like a whippet trying to escape, I wondered if hedgehogs were developing escape skills via natural selection as curling up into a ball ( say in the middle of a road ) isn`t the best action to surviving
Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
Write to Mr Brown at 10 Downing street and ask for a gov grant to investigate this.Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
Then blow it on coke and hookers.
I believe it has been investigated and indeed hedgehogs are developing more of a tendency to run away rather than curl up.
As for why spiders curl up when they die it's obvious, it's so the other spiders don't have the hassle of making a coffin with bits for the eight legs sticking out.
As for why spiders curl up when they die it's obvious, it's so the other spiders don't have the hassle of making a coffin with bits for the eight legs sticking out.
Pigeon said:
I believe it has been investigated and indeed hedgehogs are developing more of a tendency to run away rather than curl up.
As for why spiders curl up when they die it's obvious, it's so the other spiders don't have the hassle of making a coffin with bits for the eight legs sticking out.
I guess that`s where I got the thought from and there I was thinking I was on to something originalAs for why spiders curl up when they die it's obvious, it's so the other spiders don't have the hassle of making a coffin with bits for the eight legs sticking out.
Can`t find anything about research into hedgehogs legging it and I`ve looked before,do you have any details/pointers ? I`d like to know if this behaviour change has resulted in any changes to the bodies / skeletons of today`s hedgehogs vs their ancestors
BlackVanGirl said:
OllieWinchester said:
No idea to your question, but in a similar vein, what the hell do woodlice do when they have curled themselves into a ball? I watched one curl up the other day on a paving slab, when he uncurled he was on his back and seemed to have no way to right himself.
[phreply]Giving itself a 'treat'.
[/phreply]
OllieWinchester said:
The question is, when they have finished being scared, how do they right themselves when they are on a flat surface? The one I observed the other day uncurled on a paving slab and was on his back, and seemed to have no way to get back on his feet. I tried giving him a helping hand to roll over, but he just curled up into a ball again the bloody idiot.
Maybe it's a 50:50 thing - if it doesn't work the first time, he rolls up and has another go. Or perhaps it's Nature's way of controlling the woodlouse population? Anyway, woodlice have been around for gazillions of years so whatever they do, it seems to work.Pobolycwm said:
Do all hedgehogs still curl up when threatened ? I can remember finding one a few years ago and it belted around the park like a whippet trying to escape, I wondered if hedgehogs were developing escape skills via natural selection as curling up into a ball ( say in the middle of a road ) isn`t the best action to surviving
Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
Was the hedgehog blue by any chance? Maybe chasing some golden rings?Are there fewer squashed hedgehogs on the road nowadays ? possibly due to them becoming fleeter of foot / paw
Has anyone else tried to catch a fleeing hedgehog ?
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