I have no idea what kind of spider this is. All I know about it is that it can jump! So this picture was taken with the one-arm-extended-please-don’t-jump-now-praying-technique 🙂
Wow! Thanks for all the great info Rhys! Yes, this spider never made a web. I followed it around for a few days as it circled our patio and stopped here and there for a day or so. Knowing that it isn’t poisonous it great, but knowing that it actually saw me is really cool!
One other comment….when one of these looks up at you, as in Marita’s photo, the spider can really see you! What it may be thinking is anyone’s guess, so when you encounter a jumping spider, please try to look your best!!! haha.
This beautiful spider is a jumping spider, perhaps of the Phidippus genus in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). There are hundreds of species, many of them characterized by bright, irredescent colors. Uniquely adapted for hunting, these do not live in a web, but roam freely in search of prey, like a cat. Their vision is acute, stereoscopic to judge distance, and research has proven that their main pair of eyes can zoom on images similar to the long lens of a camera. Their aim is deadly accurate over the span of a few inches and insects are their main prey. To process detailed vision, jumping spiders have complex brains. Among the most intelligent of arachnids, they can learn to be tactical while hunting, and also learn basic survival skills by a process called habituation. When a tactic succeeds over and over, the spider remembers it. They use their silk to wrap prey, run drag lines, and fashion eggsacs to protect their young as they develop within the sac. Jumping spiders have the most complex mating rituals. The male must give the female a series of visual signals and vibrations as he approaches. If he succeeds in convincing her that he is worthy as a mate, he will be allowed to pass on his genes.
Jumping spiders, as are all arachnids, 100% beneficial to the ecosystems they inhabit. They control other critters that are pests. Jumpers are not harmful to people. If you encounter a jumping spider, leave it be…or help it find a safe place away from harm. Spraying pesticides in your living area will kill pests, but also kills beneficial animals like spiders. Problem is, it takes 10 times longer for the benefical animals to re-establish themselves, while the pests almost always come back immediately. Just some food for thought, if you want to help nature keep her balance, don’t kill spiders or spray chemicals.
Rhys
Wow! Thanks for all the great info Rhys! Yes, this spider never made a web. I followed it around for a few days as it circled our patio and stopped here and there for a day or so. Knowing that it isn’t poisonous it great, but knowing that it actually saw me is really cool!
One other comment….when one of these looks up at you, as in Marita’s photo, the spider can really see you! What it may be thinking is anyone’s guess, so when you encounter a jumping spider, please try to look your best!!! haha.
This beautiful spider is a jumping spider, perhaps of the Phidippus genus in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). There are hundreds of species, many of them characterized by bright, irredescent colors. Uniquely adapted for hunting, these do not live in a web, but roam freely in search of prey, like a cat. Their vision is acute, stereoscopic to judge distance, and research has proven that their main pair of eyes can zoom on images similar to the long lens of a camera. Their aim is deadly accurate over the span of a few inches and insects are their main prey. To process detailed vision, jumping spiders have complex brains. Among the most intelligent of arachnids, they can learn to be tactical while hunting, and also learn basic survival skills by a process called habituation. When a tactic succeeds over and over, the spider remembers it. They use their silk to wrap prey, run drag lines, and fashion eggsacs to protect their young as they develop within the sac. Jumping spiders have the most complex mating rituals. The male must give the female a series of visual signals and vibrations as he approaches. If he succeeds in convincing her that he is worthy as a mate, he will be allowed to pass on his genes.
Jumping spiders, as are all arachnids, 100% beneficial to the ecosystems they inhabit. They control other critters that are pests. Jumpers are not harmful to people. If you encounter a jumping spider, leave it be…or help it find a safe place away from harm. Spraying pesticides in your living area will kill pests, but also kills beneficial animals like spiders. Problem is, it takes 10 times longer for the benefical animals to re-establish themselves, while the pests almost always come back immediately. Just some food for thought, if you want to help nature keep her balance, don’t kill spiders or spray chemicals.
Rhys