Tiny Geniuses: The Insane Intelligence Of Jumping Spiders
Discover their astonishing hunting strategies
In the world of invertebrates, one species stands out for its intelligence.
Its exceptional predatory skills and tactics make this tiny friend arguably the most intelligent arthropod on our planet. Their remarkable hunting strategies show flexibility, problem-solving, and decision-making behaviors.
Despite this, many people fear them.
Can you guess who it is?
Meet Portia, The Jumping Spiders
Portia is a genus from the family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Remarkably, although it is estimated that there are more than 6000 species, we don’t know the behavior of most of them. However, it looks probable that many of them prey on insects (particularly other spiders), which they capture without the assistance of a web.
You read that right. Jumping spiders don’t build a web.
Most of the spiders you know are pretty boring, right? They just sit in the middle of their webs, barely moving, using vibrations to feel their surroundings and detect prey.
In contrast, jumping spiders are quite active.
They are constantly checking the environment. Also, they have a unique vision and exceptional ability to see details in objects. However, what makes them stand out is their flexibility, problem-solving, and decision-making capacities.
Those behaviors show a kind of intelligence only found in other vertebrates.
Their Insane Intelligence
Jumping spiders are genius invertebrates.
Its behaviors have surprised scientists for decades. In a review published in Frontiers in Psychology, Cross et al. (2020) show their pre-planned detours, expectancy violation, and capacity to solve confinement problems. In all these 3 contexts, there is experimental evidence of innate cognitive capacities and internal representation.
Let’s review some of these strategies:
Finding A Blind Spot
Imagine you’re a hungry jumping spider.
You are happily jumping from leaf to leaf when you suddenly spot a yummy spider on its web. You would not just jump to catch it, right …?
No, you can easily go from predator to prey, trapped in the web of your target.
So one of the strategies of Portia is to take an indirect path. Instead of attacking directly, these tiny creatures round their target looking for an optimal location. For example, right on top of it where the spider can’t sense Portia.
Yes, a blind spot.
From there, Portia jumps and kills its prey. Smart, isn’t it? Well, that was an easy context. These jumping spiders can make multiple decisions depending on the situation they face.
Let’s see another example.
“Come To Me“ Strategy
Now imagine it’s a windy day, especially for a tiny jumping spider.
You’re hungry and just spotted a Tiger Spider. These invertebrates (like many spiders) hunt with webs by sensing the vibrations in all the places of their constructions. They are an extension of their perceptive world.
There, they stay calm and wait for an insect to get trapped in it.
Portia knows this.
Sometimes, the wind makes it unable to find an indirect path to attack from the top or a blind spot, so jumping spiders use a strategy that makes scientists skeptical when they first read about it.
They “tickle” the spider web to get the attention of their target.
The tiger spider will sense the vibrations and go to the place of origin, believing it just captured prey. Slowly, it will walk through its web without knowing it is a trap.
When it’s just close enough … JUMP, Portia will attack and get its food.
Insane.
We highly recommend you watch this video narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Genius Invertebrates. Still Many Hate Them
Spiders receive a lot of hate.
People believe they are ugly, and useless animals. However, they play a crucial role as predators, feeding on other insects and controlling their number. Plus, as you learned in this article, they are also insanely smart.
Some Portia behaviors are only found in other vertebrates.
Jumping spiders show an incredible capacity for problem-solving, decision-making, and flexibility. These tiny creatures with no more than 10 thousand neurons are capable of remarkable behaviors.
We hope this post changes this negative view of spiders.
Animals are incredible.
They continually amaze us with their unique colors, behaviors, and the complex ecosystems they inhabit.
In Cognitive Creatures, you will discover their secrets and learn why are they crucial for our planet.
Some Questions For You
Are you still afraid of spiders?
How would you think people can respect them more or fear them less?
What animal would you like to learn about? We will write about it!
“With a greater sense of understanding comes a greater sense of wonder”. — Anil Seth.
Until the next time,
Axel and Victoria.
📚 Reference
Cross, F. R., Carvell, G. E., Jackson, R. R., & Grace, R. C. (2020). Arthropod Intelligence? The Case for Portia. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 568049. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568049