Jumping Spiders: 5 Incredible Facts!

“Spider!” is a commonly yelled phrase in homes and outdoors around the world. Many people are afraid of spiders – particularly large spiders or ones that can leap. Jumping spiders are amazing animals. They’re smart, have excellent vision, and are even considered cute in appearance.

About 6000 species of spiders that jump have been described worldwide, more than any other spider type. These spiders are found pretty much everywhere except Antarctica. Different species can live in tropical rainforests, scrublands, deserts, temperate forests, etc. Jumping spiders, like most other spiders, are venomous and have fangs. However, a bite will prove not harmful to humans, as the venom is too weak to affect us.

Check out some of the most amazing facts about these spiders below!

#1 Jumping Ability – 10-50x their body length!

Most humans can only jump a few feet, much less than their length or height. Imagine being able to jump 10 times your height – you could leap tall buildings in a single bound!

Jumping spiders can do just that. A 1/2 inch spider could therefore jump 25 inches or more than two feet (most jumping spiders are between 0.1 and 2.5 cm in length – one inch or less)! How do these spiders jump so far?

Jumping spiders can be helpful to many different environments because they prey on other insects. While they can bite people, the jumping spider is not venomous or poisonous. If they feel threatened, they will flee rather than fight. Their rapid movements and can jump can be alarming but they can’t lethally harm you.

They increase the blood pressure in two or four of their back legs, which expands the legs to give their leaps a boost.

Jumping spiders are able to employ bimodal breathing – taking in oxygen via arachnid book lungs and a tracheal system. They also spin a single thread to stabilize the jump.

#2 Jumping Spiders Are Actually Cute

Some people may feel that the words “cute” and “spider” do not belong in the same sentence, but they obviously haven’t seen a jumping spider up close.

Jumping spiders have a particular arrangement of eyes – two very large forward-facing eyes with a smaller eye on each side. Just as large eyes make kawaii anime characters look cute and childlike, so do the large eyes of this spider.

Jumping spiders are also furry, and they often sport bright colors and bold patterns. Finally, their movements may resemble a dance as they “nibble” with their pedipalps – leglike appendages of the mouth – or wave their front legs in a defensive posture or mating dance.

#3 Jumping Spiders Literally Have Eyes on the Back of Their Heads

In addition to the four large, cute eyes, spiders that jump have two more sets of eyes on the carapace for a total of eight eyes. The arrangement of eyes means the spider has virtually no blind spots in its vision. It can thus react quickly to danger or prey.

It can navigate from place to place by sight. A jumping spider’s visual field extends for about a foot, a huge distance for such a small animal. Its incredible eyesight also makes jumping spiders difficult to kill or catch.

#4 Jumping Spiders Are Really Smart

Though their brains are tiny, scientists have proven that jumping spiders are especially smart and have the ability to learn. Here are a few examples:

• Many jumping spider species plan specialized routes to reach their prey rather than just rushing in on it. This quality is usually only observed in larger predators. They can even visualize where hidden prey might be hiding and find them.
• Jumping spiders belonging to the subfamily Spartaeinae act out elaborate dances to attract a mate. Usually, animals that small don’t have the visual acuity to utilize such a technique. The Australian peacock jumping spider is the size of a grain of rice. It has a colorful fan on its back which it expands and dances with. It may dance for almost an hour, but if the female doesn’t like the dance, she eats the male spider!
• Scientists in New Zealand developed an obstacle course, which jumping spiders navigated successfully. The maze consisted of towers, platforms, moats (jumping spiders don’t like to get wet), and containers of food. Their ability to plan and adapt when plans must change is called “genuine cognition.” It means they think before they act.
• Jumping spiders have good memories. In the above study, spiders sought out the container which had had food in it, even after researchers had replaced it with an empty container.
• Jumping spiders display site fidelity, meaning that if they find a good place to hunt or nest, they will return there if displaced.

#5 People Keep Jumping Spiders as Pets!

The following jumping spider varieties are sometimes kept as pets:

• The bold or daring jumping spider (Phidippus Audax) is larger than many other jumping spider species – about the size of one segment of your finger. It is black with white markings and metallic green or blue fangs. As its name suggests, it is not as shy as many of its cousins. It is native to North America.
• The regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius) is another North American native. This large jumping spider spins a nest of silk to sleep in.
• The tan jumping spider (Platycruptus undatus) lives under tree bark in the United States and Canada. Though they blend in well with their habitat, enthusiasts may scoop up this curious spider and carry it in their hand.
• The zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) can be found throughout North America and Europe. Its name is derived from distinctive cream and black stripes.
• The elegant golden jumping spider (Chrysilla lauta) may be one of the most colorful invertebrates. It lives in the rainforests of Asia and has irredescent coloring in shades of gold, red, blue, pink, and green. This spider could easily be mistaken for a piece of jewelry!

Pet jumping spiders are generally not purchased at a pet store but are caught outdoors in nature. Some sources say the spiders adapt readily to a lidded aquarium with at least a cubic foot of space and plenty of twigs, rocks, and plants to hide in. What do people do with a pet jumping spider? They allow them to crawl on their hands, feed them live insects, and make social media videos of their antics.

Summary Of 5 Facts About Jumping Spiders

Up Next…

We see spiders almost every day, yet what do we really know about them? Take a look at these articles for more information on spider species and facts about them!

• The World’s Most Venomous Spider – While this spider is pretty secluded to one area of the world, it is still important to watch out for it!
• Black Widow Spider – Spiders of almost folklore, the elusive black widow is quite an interesting spider.
• Baby Wolf Spider: Facts & Unbelievable Pictures! – Wolf spiders are common throughout the world.