Molting Tarantula

I noticed when I got home yesterday that our Chilean Rose Hair tarantula, Athena, was lying upside down in a hammock like web she has made over the last couple of days.  I went to take a closer look and this is what I saw.

I walked in just as she was finishing molting. Spiders molt because like all other arthropods, they must shed their old smaller skin in order to get larger. Unlike humans skin the tarantulas exoskeleton can't just stretch as they get bigger they have to undergo ecdysis, or molt. 

If you look closely you can make out her fangs!

Once she was completely finished  I took the molt out of the cage and this is what it looks like:

Although this has little to do with gardening, it has plenty to do with nature, and was too amazing to not share. 

Happy Gardening!