How does the A. seemanni physically eject its urticating hairs toward an actual or perceived threat?
Answer
Flicking them from the spider's abdomen using its hind legs.
The mechanism for deploying the urticating hairs is a specific, active action involving the rear appendages of the spider. When the *A. seemanni* feels threatened, it uses its hind legs to rapidly flick these fine hairs off its abdomen, directing them toward the source of stress or danger. This contrasts with species that may bite first or rely on different defensive secretions. The efficacy of this defense lies in the physical contact of the hairs with the threat, causing irritation upon contact with skin, eyes, or the respiratory tract, emphasizing that this is a deliberate, targeted physical action rather than a passive emission.
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