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16 March 2022 Scavenging of Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) by Desert Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) in Arizona
Brian R. Blais
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Abstract

Scavenging appears to be a conserved but flexible characteristic among spiders. Although scavenging behavior is well documented in captivity, observations in the wild are rarely witnessed. During a road ecology survey on 6 September 2021, I observed an adult male desert blonde tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) scavenging upon a roadkilled neonate western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). The tarantula did not react defensively to my slow approach, and I observed its chelicerae working into the snake's soft tissue. Observations of theraphosids scavenging are quite rare, and this may be the first reported instance of tarantula scavenging upon a reptilian carcass.

© 2022
Brian R. Blais "Scavenging of Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) by Desert Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) in Arizona," Western North American Naturalist 82(1), 208-210, (16 March 2022). https://doi.org/10.3398/064.082.0123
Received: 17 September 2021; Accepted: 17 December 2021; Published: 16 March 2022
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