Terrifying time-lapse shows the moment a Mexican Red Knee tarantula crawls out of its own skin
- A tarantula was captured shedding its skin in a striking time lapse
- The process lasted six hours, but is seen in condensed video in just 17 seconds
- Tarantulas must molt multiple times throughout their life to grow larger
- The process is both painstaking and sometimes dangerous for the creature
A time lapse video of a tarantula encapsulates the several hours-long process of how the giant spider laboriously sheds its own skin.
In the video, shot by wildlife educator Sean Roach, the six-hour-long process is condensed into just 17 seconds and succinctly shows the Red Knee tarantula writhing on its back until it emerges from its former exoskeleton.
This molting process happens several times throughout the spider’s life until it reaches its full size of around six inches long.
The spider in the video, named ‘Rosa,’ is about 8 years old and is currently 5 inches long.
According to Roach, the variety of tarantula can live for around 30 years.
Red Knee tarantulas live in the Pacific mountains of Mexico in scrub-forest habitat and semi-desert regions.
They are best-known for their hairy bodies and striped patterns along its legs.
According to Tarantulagude.com, before the tarantula starts molting, it goes through several other physical changes.
A bald spot on the spider’s abdomen becomes larger, and the skin underneath changes from pink to black.
Rosa the tarantula shed her skin over a period of six hours but a time lapse shows the feat in 17 seconds
Tarantulas need to shed their exoskeletons several times throughout their lives in order to grow
The tarantula may stop eating altogether and the spider lays still for two weeks before the molting process begins.
According to a National Geographic report, the molting process can be somewhat dangerous for the spiders.
If the creature is unable to free itself from its exoskeleton, the spider will likely die that way.
While many animals often eat their molted skin to regain energy after the laborious process, tarantula’s don’t have that luxurious dining option as their skin is covered in tiny coarse hairs that would make for a fairly inedible meal.
The process is both long and dangerous as spiders risk getting caught in their exoskeletons
