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Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider Side View

Jumping Spider Front View

Jumping Spider Front - No Flash

Phidippus mystaceus

But we called her Franklin, which is somewhat unfortunate that she got a boy name before I realized she was a +ahem+, she. She was found hanging around outside of my office by a coworker in Cary, NC. I scooped her up, took him home and got a few photographs before letting her make a home in my hanging baskets out front (where she stayed for a bit).

Jumping spiders are actually the largest family of spiders (accounting for 13% of all spiders) and they are found all over the world. The one above can be found on my porch. ;o)

She’s a jumping spider, and boy oh boy can she can jump far…

So, Franklin the lady can grow up to one centimeter in body length. Her latin name comes from mustache (does the humiliation ever stop!) but she used to be known by an acronym for the tufts of hair that resemble donkey ears…

Jumping spiders can jump from 10 to 80 times their body length via a wicked neat internal hydraulics system. But generally it’s their unusual eye pattern that makes them easy to recognize – they have 8 eyes with two large ones up front that enable stereoscopic vision. Their vision is thought to better than all spiders and most, if not all, other insects. Because of their good eyesight, they will eat dead prey (most other spiders only capture and eat live prey due to their inability to “see” food sources that are not moving). Which means, a jumping spider might make a good spider pet. You can feed him/her delicious dead insects. Some jumping spiders even eat pollen and nectar as well.

Jumping spiders are awesome at mimicry (from mimicking plants, to ants, to beetles & such) and are excellent hunters. The female will sometimes make a silk tent to lay her eggs, but otherwise they don’t make webs. Because, who has time for weaving silly webs when you are out jumping, maneuvering and hunting like mad? They do use their silk as a tether when jumping about though.

Jumping spiders are also known as inquisitive spiders because they don’t shy away from humans. Often they will look directly at our big monstrous hand coming toward them and may even lift up their front to legs as a bit of a challenge. Shy? No way. Watch your back. They may jump on your face!

Franklin was awesome and did not jump on my face, or my camera lens – but rather allowed me to gawk for ten minutes, touch and then take her outside. Jumping spiders can bite and most have venom that will hurt – but they really aren’t dangerous.