The jumping spider is considered a real intellectual among its peers and is often kept as a pet. Moreover, in captivity this cute creature can live for about three years. In addition, this species has a number of amazing features, including good eyesight and the ability to communicate with each other using special signals.
Description and appearance
The cephalothorax of jumping spiders is connected to the abdomen by a fairly mobile stalk; there are 4 pairs of walking legs, like all arachnids.
The body size of all representatives of araneomorphic spiders does not exceed 2 cm; specimens are pubescent or almost naked. The coloring can be inconspicuous, in gray-brown tones, allowing it to hide and lie in wait for prey, or bright - to attract the attention of the female.
Appearance
The jumping spider has surprisingly good eyesight. Among similar creatures, it stands out for its large eyes, 2 pairs of which are located on the front of the head. They make it possible to distinguish the colors and shapes of objects. Another pair is located in the middle and closer to the back of the head; they allow you to detect the slightest movement and react in time to the approach of danger. Thus, the spider has an all-round view and the ability to estimate the distance to the victim.
On a note! The respiratory system of horses is double; they have tracheas and developed lungs. This allows the tissues to be oxygenated twice - on inhalation and on exhalation, providing an additional benefit to this type of arachnid.
Interesting Facts
- Males sometimes perform a mating dance even in front of their reflection.
- Individuals have the best object vision among spiders. They are probably able to distinguish colors.
- The family includes more than three thousand species of spiders that are found throughout the world. Most of these spiders live in tropical areas, some are found in the temperate zone. Representatives of the family even live in Arctic regions.
- If dirt gets into the spider's eyes, it carefully cleans them with its pedipalps.
- Some types of spiders imitate ants. Such similarity (mimicry) is expressed not only in the shape of the body, but also in movements. This is how spiders escape from pompil wasps that prey on spiders.
Video
Kinds
The types of jumping spiders are quite diverse. In the process of evolution, some varieties received the most widespread, some unusual features:
- Golden jumping spiders from the genus Simaetha resemble jewels. Their attractive golden, purple, and violet colors are difficult to notice due to their tiny size. These inhabitants of southeast Asia grow to a maximum of 4 mm.
- The jumping ant Myrmarachne plataleoides also lives in southeast Asia. Amazingly disguises itself as a weaver ant, known in nature for its aggressive behavior. Also, such mimicry protects against attacks by birds and wasps. Dark spots on the modified chelicerae imitate the eyes of an ant. Ant jumping spiders live in the jungle on the same trees as ant colonies. Sitting on the underside of the leaf, they look out for their victims.
- The red-backed jumping spider is considered the largest representative among its kind on the North American continent: the size of the female is up to 22 mm, the male is up to 15 mm. Lives in dry forests, in sand, under stones. Builds tubular nests from spider webs, especially noticeable in vineyards. The male has a completely red back, while the female has a black stripe in the middle. Externally, the red-backed jumper resembles the highly poisonous Latrodectus hasselti, known as the Australian black widow.
- The Himalayan horse, discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, is capable of living at an altitude of 6,700 m. The body is brown in color, in females up to 0.35 cm long, in males - up to 0.4 cm. They feed on small midges and tiny springtails that live in the soil .
- The pied racer Salticus scenicus is distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The body of males and females is almost the same size: 6 and 7 mm, respectively. The color is black, white and gray, the body and limbs are pubescent. They live next to a person. These spiders can often be seen basking in the sun on the stone walls of houses.
- The green racer Mopsus mormon lives exclusively in Australia and New Guinea. the body is translucent, bright green, yellowish in color. Performs the most intricate mating dance among its relatives. Reaches a size of 1 cm.
- The peacock spider Maratus volans is also found in Australia On its abdomen there are scutes that are brightly colored. During the mating dance, the scutes open like a fan to attract a potential mate.
- The muscular racer Hyllus diardi also lives in the tropical rainforests of Asia. A very large representative of the family. The body size reaches 2 cm, the leg span is 3 cm.
Interesting fact! New endemic species of jumping spiders are still being discovered in Australia.
Super Spider (2012). Video (00:45:00)
An insect with furry legs, poisonous teeth, living in the shade, and even producing poison. The creature we were all taught to fear. Spider. And yet spiders are amazingly talented, they have a range of abilities that delight scientists. As Darwin argued, the key factor in the survival of a species is its ability to adapt, but when it comes to adaptation, spiders are masters. They live all around us. So far, 42,000 species of spiders have been identified. They live in our houses, our gardens, they have conquered most habitats. They are found high in the mountains, on distant islands, but it is not necessary to go that far; wherever we are, there is always a spider nearby.
Hunting methods and food
These creatures live and hunt alone. At night, the jumping spider sleeps in a secluded place, having made a small cradle from its web. He prefers to hunt in daylight. It does not build a web for catching prey.
Nutrition
The jumping spider's vascular system allows them to pump up hemolymph pressure into the limbs to perform a jump. The spider looks out for prey with its keen vision, estimates the distance, gets closer, then jumps with lightning speed. For safety net he uses a thin cobweb. The jump speed is 90 m/s, length is 10 cm.
On a note! In the hind legs of horses, only flexor muscles are developed.
The victims are usually ants or flying insects:
- flies,
- blood-sucking: mosquitoes and mosquitoes;
- bees;
- garden aphids;
- small beetles.
With sharp chelicerae (oral appendages), the jumper pierces the durable chitinous cover of its prey and injects poison, which has a complex chemical composition. It contains a substance that immobilizes the trophy, as well as digestive juices that literally dissolve the insides of the victim, turning them into a nutritious liquid, which the spider then absorbs.
If a spider is fleeing from pursuit, it constantly turns around. His front eyes work like binoculars, allowing him to see the enemy and assess the level of danger.
On a note! The type of digestion of jumping spiders is called extraintestinal.
Behavior
The jumping spider leads an active daytime lifestyle. He is able to expand his limbs against a background of changing blood pressure (internal hydraulic system).
With this in mind, there is no doubt about whether spiders are jumping spiders. They are able to do this over long distances, which significantly exceed the size of their own body.
When making a jump, the spider attaches a silk thread of the web to the supporting place for safety. Horses also hold their bodies on horizontal glossy surfaces (glass). This is possible thanks to the small hairs and claws located on the paws.
When fleeing, jumping spiders often turn around, assessing the distance to the one who is pursuing them. It is usually not difficult to hide from an enemy, since their limbs are well developed.
Thanks to its powerful limbs, the arachnid not only successfully runs, but also jumps over considerable distances.
The jumping spider is found in such areas:
- forests attract him with trees, any of which he can make his home;
- mountains or steep cliffs are also interesting for him - there are cracks for his shelter;
- fields attract him with tall grass or branches of bushes;
- a person’s home can also become his home, since there is always a cozy sunny place for him there.
Jumping spiders are loners. They are most active during the day, and at night they look for some hidden place. To spend the night, the horse weaves a cradle from a web, lays down in it and rests there until the morning. With the advent of the first rays of sunlight, the horse awakens.
If it is not satisfied with weather conditions, the spider may decide not to leave its shelter for several days.
After waiting out the bad weather and seeing noticeable improvements in weather conditions, the horse leaves its cradle, warms up in the sun for a while, and then goes hunting.
Some species of jumping hoppers imitate ants. Mimicry (resemblance) is expressed not only in imitating the shape of the body, but they also repeat their movements. Thanks to this, horses are saved from road wasps that actively hunt them.
Reproduction and lifespan
Jumping spiders usually live for about 1 year, with females slightly longer than males. The breeding season lasts from May to September in temperate latitudes, in the tropics - all year round. To attract a partner, males perform a mating dance. They raise the pedipalps - limbs that serve them, among other things, to transfer seminal fluid into the female’s body. At the same time, they make rhythmic movements with their abdomen and front legs, gradually approaching the female in a zigzag manner.
The fertilized female weaves a nest from a web in a secluded place, lays eggs and waits patiently until small spiderlings emerge from the clutch, and then leaves the shelter.
How is a jumping spider useful?
The jumping spider is an important element of the ecosystem; it is even called the “orderly”. The spider feeds on insects, including those dangerous to humans, as well as garden pests. At the same time, the jumping spider is not dangerous to humans and is not afraid of them, so it often settles near people’s homes and helps in pest control.
For example, jumping spiders live in Uganda, Kenya and near Lake Victoria. There they feed on female malaria mosquitoes that have drunk blood. Obviously, this helps reduce human mortality due to mosquito bites, which are carriers of dangerous diseases.
Maintenance and care at home
For life in captivity, jumpers native to countries with a tropical climate are often chosen, so for such pets it is necessary to create an environment close to their native one:
- temperature 26-28 °C;
- high humidity – 70-80%;
- long daylight hours - optimally 12 hours, backlighting lamps are used.
A pet
Young spiders need to be fed every other day, adults 2-3 times a week. Uneaten remains must be removed to avoid spoilage, mold and contamination of the area. The diet for domestic horses will include fruit flies, crickets, locusts, flies, etc. The size of the victims should not exceed the size of the spider's body.
The terrarium (insectarium) should be quite spacious (2-3 liters), with a substrate and shelters made of bark and twigs.
Is a bite dangerous to human health?
Horses are poisonous arthropods, but they do not pose a danger to humans. The concentration of their poison is insufficient to cause irreparable harm to people. In addition, the jumping spider is practically unable to bite through human skin.
The horse is one of the useful and harmless representatives of arthropods. Since such a spider is a predator, hunting various insects, it becomes a real ally for gardeners.
If people notice such a spider in their garden, then before destroying it, they should think about the benefits it brings.
Varieties
Sydney (Australian)
This species is one of the most dangerous and poisonous (after the Brazilian soldier spider and the six-eyed sand spider), as the Sydney funnel-web spider attacks its prey quickly and furiously. With its long and strong fangs, it can easily bite not only skin, but also nails, especially children's. It bites mercilessly and lightning fast, sometimes even several times. The venom of this spider is so strong that one bite is enough to kill a child.
If the victim is not promptly helped by administering an antidote, he dies within 15 minutes.
In terms of dimensions, this spider is quite large. The length of the female, including limbs, can reach 7 cm. Males are more miniature with thin, long limbs. The males are the most poisonous of this species. The color of the spider is dark, turning to black. There is almost no hair on their surface, so they look smooth and shiny. The homes of Australian spiders are deep, branched burrows in tree trunks or in soft soil with several entrances. On the inside, the walls and the entrance of the hole are shrouded in cobwebs.
Brown
Females of this species of spiders are very caring mothers who look after their spiderlings for a month after birth. No one dares to disturb their peace, otherwise the female mercilessly kills the troublemaker, whom she subsequently eats. The spider also feeds its children with the killed victim. This type of spider has its own communication system. For example, when cubs want to eat, they touch their mother with their limbs. Thus, the female understands that it is time to feed them.
Brownie
This is the yellow funnel-web spider that is most familiar to us, as it can be found in any home, closet, barn and other rooms. Sometimes you can see a dark brown pattern on the back of house spiders. The female is usually much larger than the male.
They place trap webs in the corners. In appearance it looks straight, but its central part drops sharply into the depths of the corner. These spiders are most active at night. The house spider is not dangerous to humans, since its bites are not poisonous.
Habitat
As already mentioned, jumping spiders are distinguished by the fact that they were able to adapt to living conditions in different regions of the planet. But still, their favorite habitats can be called tropical forests, mountains, deserts and semi-deserts. One day, one of the species of these arthropods was discovered on the top of Everest.
In our latitudes, the jumping spider is also common. He likes to sit on sun-warmed surfaces, for example, the walls of houses. Its habitat can be grass, trees, soil or rocks.
