Amazing jumping spiders

by Tree Girl, 11 year old student writer

The first time I saw a Jumping Spider was in Oregon two years ago.I used to raise Jumping Spiders, and I would feed them about once a week, and take them out to play almost everyday! Whenever I found a Jumping Spider, I would try and catch it. Because of this, I would have about five Jumping Spiders at a time! The ones that I usually caught were the Bold Jumpers, with blue-green fangs. Jumping spiders are awesome because they can jump high, they have great eyesight, and they are amazing hunters.

Jumping spider

Photo credit: https://www.rawpixel.com/

They jump really high

Adult Jumping Spiders grow about ⅛ to ¾ inches, and they can jump 25 times their own body length. They have eight legs. Four of them are thicker and longer. The two legs that are up front, are called palps. They are smaller and are used to catch food. When a jumping spider is going to jump, it changes its blood pressure, making more blood flow through its legs. It uses blood pressure to extend its legs very quickly and with a lot of force. Because of that, Jumping Spiders are good jumpers. 

Jumping Spiders have awesome eyesight

Jumping Spiders have eight eyes. The two front eyes are bigger than the others, which gives them their cute look.  While Jumping Spider’s eyes are cute, they also have great eyesight, which benefits them so they can hunt better. They only see gray and black, but they don’t have to turn their head because they can see almost all the way around.

The largest jumping spider is about the size of your thumb

Photo credit: https://www.rawpixel.com/

Jumping spiders are excellent hunters

Jumping Spiders hunt their prey by stalking.  When the time is right, they jump out, and inject venom into the prey, and eat it. They usually eat insects such as: crickets, mealworms, cockroaches, and almost any insect smaller than itself. Though in Central America, there’s a special kind of Jumping Spider called the Bagheera Kiplingi who is an herbivore. I used to raise them, and every once a week, I would catch some mayflies and feed them to my pets. They are so fast, and are so good at catching even winged insects! They are admirable hunters.

Caption: This is me holding my pet spider, a rose haired tarantula.

Photo credit: Luministphotography

Jumping spiders are great at jumping high, they also have great eyesight, and they are great hunters as well. Most people are scared of spiders and don’t go near them. But they are completely harmless and are very easy to recognize. They have two large eyes at the center and like a sandwich, one smaller eye surrounding the big ones. They are also hairy and small. Whenever I saw a Jumping Spider, at home, I would take it outside and release it, and so should you!

Sources: 

https://www.bubblypet.com/jumping-spider/

https://walkermcknight.com/jumping-spider/