Why Do Spiders Curl Up When They Die
Camila Farah
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In fact a spider that has curled up is most likely dead.
When they die there is no more hydraulic pressure to extend their legs. Why do spiders curl up. Spiders may tuck in their legs when they are chilly but they do not really curl up in the traditional sense. Simply put the system fails because there is no more hydraulic pressure keeping the flexor muscles relaxed.
The simple answer is their is no more hydraulic pressure to extend the legs and the flexor muscles revert back to their original length with no resistance thus the legs curl in. The flexor muscles revert back to their original length and this is why the spider legs curl up. Instead of these muscles spiders use the blood pressure spike from their heartbeat to extend their legs out as the graphic below from jacob o neal for bbc earth explains. Spiders suffering from dehydration will have trouble moving for this reason and sit in a similar fashion.
This tell tale position is actually a symptom of an ailing bug s decreased coordination and failing. Ok smarty pants why do they curl up when they die. So when a spider dies its limbs essentially lose pressure and all sort of wind back up. Lying on their back legs sticking up in the air.
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Another awesome fact about spiders is that they don t bleed. Dead or dying insects assume a familiar pose. This causes these strong flexor muscles to constrict and retract creating this ball shape. So why do they curl up and die.Source : pinterest.com