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Brown recluse spider
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==Behavior== {{one source|section|date=May 2024}} A brown recluse's stance on a flat surface is usually with all legs radially extended. When alarmed it may lower its body, withdraw the forward two legs straight rearward into a defensive position, withdraw the rearmost pair of legs into a position for lunging forward, and stand motionless with [[pedipalps]] raised. The pedipalps in mature specimens are dark and quite prominent and are normally held horizontally forward. When threatened it usually flees, seemingly to avoid a conflict, and if detained may further avoid contact with quick horizontal rotating movements or even resort to assuming a lifeless pose ([[Apparent death|playing dead]]). The spider does not usually jump unless touched brusquely, and even then its avoidance movement is more of a horizontal lunge rather than a vaulting of itself entirely off the surface. When running, the brown recluse does not leave a silk line behind, which would make it more easily tracked when it is being pursued. Movement at virtually any speed is an evenly paced gait with legs extended. The brown recluse spider displays [[Autotomy#Spiders|autotomy]] as a [[Anti-predator adaptation|defense mechanism]] against physical, [[Predation|predatory]] attack to a leg as well as to prevent [[Predation|predatory]], [[venom]] injections from spreading to the rest of the body.<ref name=Vetter-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p=β―57}} "Once a leg is lost, a recluse spider does not [[Regeneration (biology)|regenerate]] a new one with subsequent [[Moulting|molts]]",<ref name=Vetter-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p=β―57}} unlike the [[huntsman spider]], which does [[Regeneration (biology)|regenerate]] autotomized [[leg]]s. With each time that a leg is autotomized, the recluse "changes its [[Animal locomotion|gait]] to [[Compensation (psychology)|compensate]] for the loss."<ref name=Vetter-2015/>{{rp|style=ama|p=β―57}}
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