Urticating Tarantula: The Hair Missile
American rainforests shelter spiders with defensive projectiles. The tarantula rapidly rubs its abdomen with its back legs, releasing thousands of microscopic barbed hairs into the air. These hairs embed in predators’ skin, eyes, and respiratory passages, causing intense irritation. The spider regrows its defensive arsenal after each use. Large species can release clouds containing millions of these irritating bristles.