21–30 of 65 posts
See also the better known Cobalt Blue and Green Bottle Blue tarantulas, very pretty but not the best beginner pets. They shouldn't be handled and need careful climate. Other tarantulas are very easy, like Rosehair or Pink Toes. They need little attention, make no noise, are hardy desert climate dwellers, and can be handled. I had a female Rosehair live for 20 years as a beginner.
> The secret behind the vivid blue coloration of our tarantula lies not in the presence of blue pigments, but rather in the unique structure of their hair, which incorporates nanostructures that manipulate light to create this striking blue appearance Cool!
It’s actually surprisingly common. For instance, butterflies and peacocks also use this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_coloration (In fact, I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that only a handful of blue pigments exist in nature; the vast majority of blue animals and plants use structural colouration instead. Can’t recall where I saw it, though.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing
- "Anodic films can also be used for several cosmetic effects, either with thick porous coatings that can absorb dyes or with thin transparent coatings that add reflected light wave interference effects. [...] The colour [sic] formed is dependent on the thickness of the oxide (which is determined by the anodizing voltage); it is caused by the interference of light reflecting off the oxide surface with light travelling through it and reflecting off the underlying metal surface."
There's one more example in metallurgy I don't remember the name of: where you can get metals to spontaneously form color gradients by heating them in a specific way. Like, there's a thermal gradient, and that somehow translates to an oxidation-thickness gradient, which makes a rainbow. (?)
Hacker News?
> The secret behind the vivid blue coloration of our tarantula lies not in the presence of blue pigments, but rather in the unique structure of their hair, which incorporates nanostructures that manipulate light to create this striking blue appearance Cool!
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2004/09/qualcomm-acqu...
Offtopic - The man in the video is very agile on his feet. The trek looks dangerous and a single misstep can end up in a disaster. Respects for people who take such risks to study the forest ecosystem.
See also the better known Cobalt Blue and Green Bottle Blue tarantulas, very pretty but not the best beginner pets. They shouldn't be handled and need careful climate. Other tarantulas are very easy, like Rosehair or Pink Toes. They need little attention, make no noise, are hardy desert climate dwellers, and can be handled. I had a female Rosehair live for 20 years as a beginner.
Like they bite, or they're super fragile?
See also the better known Cobalt Blue and Green Bottle Blue tarantulas, very pretty but not the best beginner pets. They shouldn't be handled and need careful climate. Other tarantulas are very easy, like Rosehair or Pink Toes. They need little attention, make no noise, are hardy desert climate dwellers, and can be handled. I had a female Rosehair live for 20 years as a beginner.
what does "shouldn't" mean with respect to handling, and similarly "can"? Like they bite, or they're super fragile?
Hacker News?
It's a really cool spider! And I say this as someone that is pretty terrified of all spiders.
> The secret behind the vivid blue coloration of our tarantula lies not in the presence of blue pigments, but rather in the unique structure of their hair, which incorporates nanostructures that manipulate light to create this striking blue appearance Cool!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then you've never met a well-socialized tarantula; they sing and dance all the time. Usually in 6/8. (This etymology is hilariously absurd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantella )
In 186 BC the tarantella went underground, reappearing under the guise of emergency therapy for bite victims. What the...
Turns out this is a millenary tradition.