Ever think that my spider may be more adapted to this world then your normal?

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Wow, quite a stretch huh? Not really. Think about it.

Spider: a base genetic mutation that is clearly on a different level than any other naturally occurring morph. It is a mutation that affects both the mind and body. How on earth did they live in the wild? Surely they must have lived... I mean, where did the first one come from?

Ah, how we humans are so quick to point out differences amongst the masses and consider anything out of the ordinary as wrong...

Ever hear this one?

"Man! Did you see that sick spiders head shake? It seems like every time he gets either really scared or really worked up, he shakes his head. When he is eating he REALLY gets worked up!!!!"

Got to love these:

"Yes, I know that the spider syndrome is a genetic DEFECT, and its behavior is obviously sign of a disorder. I promise my spider doesn't shake or do anything funny at all. He is perfect unlike all your retarded spiders"

A personal favorite:

"I got this friend, of a friend, of a brothers friend that had a baby spider ball python that wobbled and corkscrewed so bad that it couldn't eat on its own. They eventually had to put it down."



How about this from an experienced ball python owner with multiple animals:

"My spiders and spider combos are the best eaters in my entire collection. Sometimes it might take them a while but wow! He eats almost every single time"

Hmmm... that’s a good thing right?

"When my spider gets hungry he kind of star gazes at night. He sticks his head up and corkscrews a little... sometimes he shakes right after that.. It is kind of like he is doing some kind of dance"

Can't remember the thread, but it was once shown that a wild ball pythons stomach autopsy revealed that ball pythons were mostly eating birds. Interesting.......

Ever consider that maybe the spiders pattern and corkscrewing may have been helpful to him in attracting prey? Is that too outrageous to consider? I suggest you check out the discovery channel a little more often. You will see that different animal species do some pretty crazy stuff to attract mates and food.

I think it is no coincidences that most experienced keepers say that their spiders or spider combos are excellent feeders. Let’s face it, in some ways they are just better adapted to hunt...

Sure you will hear "My spider is a horrible feeder"... or "A friend of a friend (or I) had a spider that corkscrewed so bad that he had to be put down." But think about this, how many spiders are there out there now? And how often do you hear these complaints? Not very often.

I suggest that the spider morph is a relative to the normal type ball python that took a different evolutionary path. Both relatives have thier strengths and weaknesses... but both must have worked well enough for us to be able to find them in the wild like we did.

Don't be so quick to think that their quirky behavior is a defect. I know quite a few snake species that as a primary defense shake their tales. Some of the top predators even shake their heads. Why is it so hard to imagine that the spider wobble is not an evolutionary trait?

Show any non snake person a spider when it is wobbling. Tell them to touch it. They will look at you like your crazy and say "I aint touching that thing, It will bite me!!!" Wow, it is pretty intimidating behavior isn't it? No way could they use a trait like that in the wild...

Right?