Random sci-fi question

If they existed, and were tame enough for this purpose, would a giant spider make an excellent steed? I'm thinking of a hypothetical character in a medieval world where lots of prehistoric animals still exist (dinosaurs, giant insects, and the like - think Skull Island), would the 8 legs of a giant spider make for a better land mount than a 2- or 4-legged animal?

 

The spiders, they're not insects, but in a War with the Humans, they'd side with the insects.
Traitors Traitors, spiders traitors, they'll Betray us, and They'll make us...
Human slaves in an insect nation

[video=youtube;-2mmTDT6W7E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2mmTDT6W7E[/video]

( otherwise, if you can figure out a saddle it'd be awesome )

 

Yes they would make a good land mount, considering youd be able to climb walls.

 

Such a hairy mount, eew :/

 

Compared with a horse? They would be a hairy mount, too...

 

Its not the hair I'd be worried about.

 

Personally, I'd go for something a little less carnivorous. Although it wouldn't be quite as glamorous a mount as say a spider, I think the humble cockroach has some more useful qualities. It would be fast (real world cockroaches can do about 3 m/s), well armoured and can be fed with just about anything.

As to the original question (8 legs better than 2 or 4), more legs generally means a more stable mount, but not necessarily a fast mount.

 

The most stable platform would probably be a caterpillar.

Wait, how about a stick insect? They have natural camouflage, you know. Hard to spot... of course, you may also have trouble with having to spot your own mount

"Now where did I park my mount?"

 

I was just thinking, part of the reason 4 legs (as in with a horse) is nice is because your legs are between its fore and hind legs. With something like an insect, it would have to be big enough that your legs are over its legs, instead of handing off the creature's sides. Then again, I guess you could ride cross-legged, but it would probably require a harness for support.

Carnivore vs. Herbivore is a good point, although in many fantasy settings wild hunters like giant eagles, wolves, big cats, etc. are used as mounts.

 

I think Giant Spiders would be interesting. I suppose it depends on the species, though. Tarantulas wouldn't be as fast as Wolf Spiders, but would be generally tougher.
As for climbing walls.... imagine sitting in a chair and that chair leaning back and sliding up a wall... not a comfortable ride honestly. (Plus, spiders sometimes lose their grip and fall, this would suck for you..)

Personally, I'll take a Scorpion:

 

I don't know. The scorpion is badass and all, but I'd be worried about it "accidentally" stabbing me with its oversized stinger.

 

I took that into consideration, though, in Clash of the Titans, it wasn't an issue, besides, it could rely on its claws over stinger in combat if you're riding.

 

Guess this depends if you're speaking only of conventional locomotion (yes, I know this is silly considering the nature of the thread) or not. Comparing 8 legs to 2 or 4 is like comparing a 4WD SUV to a regular car.

Of course, if you include jumping spiders as mounts then spiders win hands down. Hulk jumping ftw..

 

Any fantasy mount worth riding has been written up in a Dungeons and Dragons 3.Xe books somewhere.

Dragons are always going to be your best bet though, particularly in any setting that doesn't demean them into having poor/animal intelligence.

 

I'm not too sure they'd be able to climb up walls if they were large enough to support a human rider. Basically the idea that as you get bigger, while your strength grows exponentially, your mass grows one power greater. Found some blogs online where they go into the math on how legs would work with bigger creatures...actually seems like 4 is probably the most efficient. That doesn't mean I won't have giant spiders, though.

Yao, I don't have the DND books. What are you, some kind of nerd?

 

I'm most kinds of nerd. Building mechs in Mechwarrior is much like building characters in D&D; only like any table-top game D&D has a lot more leeway for obscene abuses of mechanics ;D



I'm trying to remember off the top of my head, but I think physiologically-speaking giant spiders or insects aren't really realistic. The way their bodies are put together just doesn't scale well into "giant" or even "large". It's not just their exoskeletons either. Spiders don't have true circulatory systems; they just sort of leech oxygen through "book lungs", and they have an open circulatory system. An open circulatory system means that blood just sits in a pool around organs instead of being in more efficient blood vessels. If you enlarged a spider to "giant"-size it simply wouldn't be possible for their inefficient circulatory and respiratory systems to keep the creature alive.



All that said, I think in any setting where you have the existence of giant spiders you can take that second, small step forward and let them climb walls like their smaller comrades. Same with other fantasy creatures; if they exist, why not let them fly/climb/teleport/leap through shadows/spit mayonnaise?

 

I think the organs and such can be reworked. It would take a lot more strength on both the muscles and the pads on their feet to climb walls, though.

 

So, basically a scaled up version of this:

 

The way he's sitting highlights my concern about the legs getting in the way.

 

I want to bring up my suggestion for Dragon mounts again. Not just a mount. Not just an incredibly dangerous fighter. A fire-breathing, magic-casting, teeth-and-claw-gnashing, flying, unkillable beast. That you can ride.