[ WP ] Write about something that is disgusting or ugly in such a way that it becomes something beautiful -- without using the 'beautiful inside ' cliche .

A canopy tarantula is an intricate, beautiful machine of almost unfathomable complexity. If you ever find yourself staring one in the face, stand extremely still and try to enjoy the view. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to run. The tarantula weighs two thousand pounds, which, last time we checked, is significantly more than you do. It is twenty-five feet wide. It can cover a football field in a single explosive leap. 
 
 You are a snack. If it notices you, the tarantula will fold you up with its remarkably dextrous front legs and inject two quarts of a paralyzing venom into your spinal column through fangs that are frankly just overkill. Excreted digestive fluids will turn your insides to mush, and then the spider will slurp you down. How's that for an image? 
 
 The takeaway here is that running is out of the question. Instead, my unfortunate explorer, take a few moments to gaze upon the tarantula, the magnificent lord of the canopy. Observe the orchestra of chitin-clad instruments pumping and twitching in unison. There are the legs, of course, all eight of them, powered by hydraulics comparable to those in a terrestrial steamroller. Were you to somehow kill the tarantula -- which, trust us, is no easy feat -- all eight legs would curl in on themselves, lacking the titanic pressure necessary to keep them extended. 
 
 Each leg is composed of seven segments: the coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, tarsus and pretarsus, and claw. Three delicate, retractable claws protrude from the tip of each leg. The claws are wreathed in special hairs, called the scopula, which help the spider affix itself to vertical surfaces. It has been estimated that a canopy tarantula, set loose in New York, could scale the Empire State Building in a matter of minutes. Of course, it would be unlikely to pursue this ascent, preferring instead to gorge itself on pedestrians until a cruise missile or other high-caliber explosive weapon blew it into twitching, hairy chunks. 
 
 Beside the legs, on either side of the tarantula's head, are a pair of remarkable appendages called pedipalps. Embedded with sharp, jagged plates ( `` maxillae'' ), the pedipalps are used for grasping, tearing, and otherwise mutilating things that the tarantula would like to catch, kill, and eat. They are basically arms with teeth on them, but such a description belies their utilitarian beauty: the pedipalps are delicate, precise, and honed by tens of millions of years of evolution to fulfill their purpose as effectively as possible. Also, they function on male spiders as a reproductive organ, which makes them more like arms with teeth *and* genitals on them. Fascinating! 
 
 In between the pedipalps, and immediately beneath the cluster of shiny eyes that we'll get around to describing in a moment, are the chelicerae, which house the spider's fangs. When not in use, the fangs fold up like landing gear, which means that you, our trembling explorer, will hopefully not get a good look at them. Still, allow us to describe the fangs. 
 
 The fangs are big. They are curved. They are extremely sharp. 
 
 That about sums it up. On to the eyes: there are eight of these, layered in two rows of four. So fragile that you could put a fist through one of them ( although we would advise against this, considering the response it would undoubtedly provoke ) the eyes are mostly used for detecting light levels, basic shapes, and movement. The most important sensory organ of a tarantula is the bristly hair all over its body, which can sense the tiniest vibrations ( such as, we regret to inform you, a human heartbeat ), allowing the creature to `` feel'' its way around its arboreal habitat. 
 
 By this point, the tarantula has likely found you, barring a fortuitous distraction. We only hope that, as it begins to digest you, your final thoughts will not be filled with discontent, but rather with awe and amazement at the wonders Mother Nature has created. 
 
 ***** 
 
 *If you liked the story, check out my [ sci-fi adventure novel ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/3uixph/ot_thanks_to_rwritingprompts_i_spent_the_last_ten/ ) ( set in the same universe ) and/or [ my personal subreddit ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/FormerFutureAuthor/ )! Making a big push to get more content out there.: D*
