Jumping spiders live all around us. In fact, there are more than 4000 different species of jumpers.
The jumping spider can jump 20 to 60 or even 75-80 times the length of their body. If you were just five feet (1.5 m) tall and could jump like that, you could leap over the Buddha statue in Japan which is 328 ft (110 m) tall (one of the world’s tallest statues).
When a jumping spider is moving from place to place, and especially just before it jumps, it tethers a filament of silk to whatever it is standing on. Should it fall for one reason or another, it climbs back up the silk tether.
All jumpers have eight eyes, and two of the eyes seem enormous for such a little body. Jumpers have a superb vision which is better than any other kind of spider. With his eight eyes a jumper can see in almost every direction at once. When it is darkest, you are looking into its retina and the spider is looking straight at you.
(Image credits: teejaybee via:villageofjoy.com)
Jumping spiders are also very famous for their curiosity because jumpers in contrast to other arachnids are seemingly interested in whatever approaches them. If approached by a human hand, instead of running away to safe place as most spiders do, jumpers will usually leap and turn to face the hand. Further approach may result in the spider jumping backwards while still eyeing the hand. The curious little creature will even raise its forelimbs and “hold its ground”.
(Image credits: kevincollins123 via:villageofjoy.com)
Their big eyes are so sharp, they can see things clearly from as far away as 20 times the length of the spider’s body. No wonder, scientists who study jumping spiders say they’re some of nature’s best stalkers – as good as lions and tigers. They usually see their prey before their prey sees them!
Adult Female Jumping Spider – Phidippus mystaceus
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Adult Female Jumping Spider – Phidippus audax
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Phidippus clarus -Female
(Image credits: platycryptus via:villageofjoy.com)
Phidippus otiosus
(image credits: cotinis via:villageofjoy.com)
Pelegrina pervaga – Adult Male Jumping Spider
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Habronattus coecatus – Adult male Jumping Spider Hiding in Leaves
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Adult Male Hentzia palmarum Jumping Spider
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Male Pelegrina galathea Jumping Spider
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Sitticus fasciger Jumping Spider
(Image credits: Opo Terser via:villageofjoy.com)
Update: At the time of writing this post I didn’t have a dSLR camera nor I knew that there were jumping spiders even in my country. To may amazement, they do live here, and now I even do have a camera, and want to share just 2 of my pics of this cute little spider: Jumping Spider in my Room (macro photos)
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Wow. Very cool pictures and a nice write up. My own pet jumping spider, Steve, just escaped. I wrote about it on my own blog clearwaterpublishing.com/alembic and was searching other blogs thinking he might have run away to a cooler home. This would certainly be a cooler home. Unless you object, I’d like to put a link to your site so that my own followers (which total about six people) can see some good images. Thanks.