Jumping Spider
The jumping spider is from the family Salticidae, in the order Araneae, and in the class Arachnida. The name jumping spider really refers to almost any group of hunting spiders that can jump or leap anywhere from 10 to 40 times their own body length.
Depending on the specie, the spider will either jump or walk. There are around 4,000 described species for the jumping spider alone, making it the largest of all other spider species. More than 300 of those species are found in the United States, and about 75 species are found in Europe.
The jumping spider averages about 2 cm in length; the female spider is typically larger than the male. The jumping spider is also well known for its appearance; they are easily spotted. Jumping spiders generally are brightly colored, have very outstanding patterns, and are also hairy and sometimes stocky.
Altogether, this spider has four pairs of eyes, two of which give it an extremely sharp vision that allows it to see better than almost any animal the same size. All of the jumping spider’s eyes allow it to have 360-degree eyesight. On top of that, the jumping spider also can turn its breast around 45 degrees.
Jumping Spiders found in..
The jumping spider is typically found in tropical regions. The tropical regions they are found in are very different, from the rainforest to the Himalayas. The jumping spider can be found anywhere in these climates. If it’s day, the spider can be found on the ground, rocks, grass, or trees. At night or if it rains, the jumping spider will hide under rocks or a small web.
Because of the jumping spider’s good eyesight, their prey can be noticed anywhere from 30 to 40 cm away. At this distance, the jumping spider scans their prey; their eyesight is similar to that of a zoom lens on a camera.
The jumping spider will move closer when the prey is registered as eatable. The jumping spider even catches prey much bigger than its own size. The jumping spider does not use webs to catch its prey, but they attach a line of silk to its prey in case they fall. When the jumping spider is near their prey, they jump or pounce on it.
Jumping Spider Bite
The jumping spider is often mistaken for dangerous, but they are not. The jumping spider is not poisonous to humans. Like a wolf spider, the jumping spider typically does not attack humans unless they feel threatened or in danger.
A jumping spider bite may be hazardous if the person bitten is allergic to spider venom. Because of that, it is extremely important to consult medical attention when bitten by a spider, especially if the spider is unidentified.
Why are you guys killing these wonderful spiders? I’ve found a way to play with these spiders. Get yourself a laser pointer and the spider will chase the dot! Try to lead it to small insects, around obstacles, or just out of the house. Its really fun! Every year I see a new one in my house, and I name it Edd, Ned, Fred, Ted, etc. I consider it a very temporary pet.
i LOVE jumping spiders. i never kill them when i find them. My mom raised me and my brothers to basically kill any spider in the house except a jumping spider. I have held them and touched them my whole life and have yet to be bit by one. Every time i find one inside my house, i get it on my hand and i go and put it on a house plant, or a plant outside. Like i said, i have been handling them ever since i can remember and I haven’t been bit by one yet. :) they aren’t dangerous.
I Live In FLORIDA I have caught this spider that’s black on the body it has white fangs and a white ring surrounding the body And in the back its a light brown with a stripe of the same black color as the body… Please reply soon Because i Have Caught This Spider and i don’t know if i have to kill it or let it in my house (cause my house is full of ants…)
Yea my house is like arachnophobia i have these jumping spiders all over the place. I live in Buffalo NY they on my car i have killed one baby so far but where there is one there is many. anyone know of a way to keep them away from my house and car. I am terrified of spiders and i flipping out here!
Phillip,
I would suggest removing the spider with a type of insect spray that is designed for getting rid of spiders. Otherwise you might try capturing it and moving it to a new location then proceed to spray around your house (it’s good to do this once a year, usually in the spring). This will keep spiders from coming back.
Good luck!
Jen
I live in West Central Illinois, near the Mississippi River. The house I have lived in for the last 15 years has always had a few jumping spiders that I see right around this time of year. They look like little black tarantulas and often have a distinctive marking on their back. The strangest thing I have observed about these spiders is their ability to change color – that little marking on their backs, which depends on the surrounding. I have seen the marking be red, white, and even a blue tone, about he shade of blue that used for the numbering of the posts on this page. It is the same color of blue that is in my kitchen. I wish I would have taken pictures of this, but I suppose someone would accuse me of photo shopping it. I’ve never been bitten by one.
I have a daring jumping spider who has made a nest below the window on our screen door. And we keep getting it mad when we open and close the door. How do you suggest we attempt to remove it?
i live in south Texas, and the little jumping spiders have always been around my home, but just recently i have made a friend of one who made her home in my kitchen window, she comes out to watch me do dishes… so i have started feeding her and in the last 2 weeks she has almost doubled in size (even though she was tiny to start out with) but i do have a question…how often should i feed her, because i feed her everyday sometimes 4 flys at once depending on how many i can catch, and she never turns down her dinner, but is the “over feeding” healthy for her???
i was bit today in my swimming pool by a daring jumping spider. i freaked out never seeing one before and went to the hospital. they said they are not dangerous unless allergic to them but they gave me 3 shots today because of it i did not know i had to get a tetna shot because i got bit and a steroid shot to with me being a bad diabetic they was very cautious with me but it stung for a while that little thing hurt but i feel better now since they gave me the shots u can only see the punctures in my arm its not even red any more . we took the spider with us to make sure we knew what kind it was. and they said it was a daring jumping spider so maybe that helps….
hi my name is shanice, just saying the picture of someone been bit well let me tell u I’ve been bit before well i was only 6 when i was bit but i thought it was a spider cause that’s the only thing I’m scared of which i am NOW but actually it wasn’t it was something but i don’t know what it is but I’m sure you will know thanks anyways
I always heard that they are poisonous, so just a minute ago I killed one that was crawling across one of my guitars, now I feel bad now that I know that they aren’t venomous to humans, just only an allergy to some. Now I know next time not to kill them. Here I see mostly the black ones with the white markings, I can tell a jumping spider by how they move and how their legs are positioned, the only ones I see here is the black ones with white markings, and once in a while I’ll see a very tiny brown one, both are very fast little critters, I live in the subtropics, so maybe there are more that I haven’t seen yet. Poor little fella dropped a strand of silk all the way to the floor after I sprayed it with Raid.
I live in Northern Texas. Yesterday i was walking in a field of semi-tall grass. Suddenly, i felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down, but nothing was there, and few hours later, a white dot formed, and my calf was red. Today, the dot turned brown, almost black, and there is a red patch surrounding it. Does anyone know what kind of spider it was?
Nah, salticids aren’t dangerous at all. They can pinch – yeah, sure – but who wouldn’t fight back if you constantly nag them?
Portia is the leetest of them all – it can actually learn on its own errors and perform better every time. Like, for example, if it jumps away from your finger but the finger keeps following, it will instead jump on the finger, etc.
I WENT TO A FIELD TRIP ABOUT ANIMALS THERE WAS THIS RED AND BLUE SPIDERS ONE WAS MISSING IT TURNS OUT IT WAS MAKING A HOME ABOVE ME AND IT BIT ME I THE ARM IT HURTED THEN WHEN I GOT HOME I DIDN’T FEEL SO GOOD I TURNED WHITE AND THE NEXT MORNING I WAS TAN
I used to find these (or at least I believe they were these) occasionally at the park I used to play at when I was little. They were pretty much harmless, and my mother would move her finger around it and it would watch it and chase (leap) at it. They were so cute
Just had a spider in my house that looked like a Funnel Web Spider, howver it had two (I think two) red spots on its back. It reared up like a Tarantula would. Thought it might be a jumping spider cause it did jump, but none of the pics I have seen match this spider. Does anyone know what kind it may be.
Tonight my husband and I were sitting in our living room and we both saw this large black spider on the wall near the patio door. It was fuzzy and had a single white dot on its back. I looked it up and I am pretty sure that it was a jumping spider. I know that the bite isnt supposed to be dangerous but my husband is allergic to spider bites and I have a 3 year and a 1 year old, as well as 2 very small dogs. I have never been bitten so I dont know if I am allergic. Is there any effective way to prevent them from coming into our home? We hardly ever open the patio door and with it getting colder, we wont be opening it at all. I would really appreciate any help keeping these guys out of our home. We are all terrified of spiders to begin with.
theres a huge spider in my house and i have a lot of animals there close to it what do i do HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!
I have always found these guys to be incredibly cute, and have only been bitten once, when i was foolish enough to try catching one by covering it with my hand while it was on my arm.
Today I found one at work in receiving, and tried to pick him up to put outside. First I tried shooing him into a box, then had to settle for the bare hands, he was too smart to fall for a box. The strangest thing is he had a weird defensive behavior. Instead of the usual leaping away, he did BACK FLIPS in place. I guess to make himself more menacing. it was quite funny. I looked him up and the breed as far as I could tell was a Daring Jumping Spider.
I love Jumping Spiders. They’re what started my love for all spiders. I caught my female Jumping Spider, Paulie, and kept her as m own little pet. I can honestly say we’ve grown attached to eachother. I think she admires me because i feed her twice or so a week. But she’s getting ready for hibernation now. I already miss her. She’s building her web in the small little bug conatiner i hav her in.
I seen a jumping brown spider the size of a Canadian dollar, brown in color and hairy legs. We are in Edmonton. Alberta. The spider was on the wall and when I went to take a closer look, it jumped off the wall. It really scared me.
Ring-like rash might be an indication it was a tick (another type of arachnid “spider” that is parasitic instead of predatory), as that is a common reaction, although not all tick bites result in a ring. Did the ring originally look different than in the picture? It’s usually a very pronounced, solid red ring with the bite in the middle. Might want to try researching other insect bites that leave rings or asking your doctor.
yesterday morning I was weeding my grandmothers rose garden, we live in Massachusetts. When I was done I sat down and looked at my leg, I saw a small red dot with a light pink ring around it, It didn’t hurt at all. About 4 hours later I looked at it and it was then a white dot surrounded by a very bright red circle, about the size of a quarter.I woke up this morning to the same bright red circle, but now have a larger light pink ring around the red and white. I’m curious as to what kind of spider I was bitten by.
We built a log cabin in the mountains in Western NC.It was a heavily wooded lot. I have been bitten eight times by small black hopping spiders. Always on my feet and mostly between my toes. Three or four of the bites had two holes. The last one I killed before it could bite twice. They itch extremely bad. Then the next day they swell badly, turn very red and look infected after three days, even with antibiotical salve. It really looks bad for several weeks. it takes three or four weeks to clear and the skin peels off. Does anyone know what this sounds like. I check every pair of shoes before I put them on. A couple of the bites occured at night. Help
I just about an hour ago was bitten by what I believe is a jumping spider. I’ve been bitten by one before a couple years ago. All that happened was the puncture marks turned white, redness around the bite, minor pain and itching, and the bite got hot. Usually when I get bit by a jumping spider the effects only last about thirty minutes.
But will I start to develop an allergy to the venom if I get bitten many times? Because we have lots and lots of spiders and other critters. Just Curious
I have this little jumping spider that is hunting on my monitor at night since little insects are attracted to the light and radiation from the large monitor. Hope he/she kills those nasty fruit flies that come in from the fruit I buy. Never heard of anyone keeping them as pets. I might try it out.
When plugging in a cord to a out door socket I noticed a thick white web of some find in the corner of the box, thinking it was probably some find of larva I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to it and continued to plug in the cord. I felt a quick sting on the back of my hand. I had seen several yellow jackets in the same area I just assumed I had been stung. It did seem strange I couldn’t find the stinger and it only hurt slightly for a few seconds. Several hours later my hand started swelling and itching and before long my hand was twice the size as the other one and burning pretty bad, and very painful. The swelling was going up my arm past my elbow. We went out were the cord was plugged in and opened the webbing and found a black jumping spider the one with the green fangs. I know they don’t usually bite but my hand must have brushed the nest causing the spider to react. The swelling and pain lasted three days before starting to return to normal. A very unpleasant experience
shows air that comes out of joints legs do not move studies from 20005
they dont jump air comes out of joints makes them look as if they jump new studies show legs do not move when they move
In reply to Kelsey, I’ve noticed spiders, if your afraid of them like I am, have a habit of falling on you or when you go to kill them(have to get someone else to for me) they look like there going to attack you! I came across earlier this afternoon what i now know is a jumping spider. He was black (shine) with white dots. I’ve never seen this type before and this thing was so creepy looking I thought it was a tarantula or black widow. Im in ontario, and didn’t think we got the little suckers here. Sadly and I know it sounds funny but i’m afraid to go sit in my living room now! The other night i was watching tv, and could see something on the arm rest moving. I tell ya, i could NOT get up fast enough I tried and kept falling back, my dog was in the way I wanted to cry and im 34yrs old! Spiders I sware sense people that are afraid of them. They always fall near me, a few ive found in my bed hope I dont have ANY in my bed fall on me or about to. Ive seen alot of spiders lately inside various ones due to the weather. They scare the crap outta me! Is it normal to have them in Canada? How do you get rid of them? Where do they come from and how do they come in?
We captured a spider a few days ago thinking it might have been a trantula. However, after extensive research, we now have concluded that it is a “jumping spider.” More specific Phiduppus Workmani. The only reason I wanted to keep it was because it has a cute little white heart on it. We have it encased in a long shot glass (temporarily) and have been feeding it moths. And little sucker loves them moths! I was quite surprised and almost ready to give up searching to find out what it was. But now, we have the priviledge to watch our little jumper grow! It is really exciting to see them stalk their prey. Believe me, I do not like spiders, until this little jumer came along. It is true that they can see you and do look right at you! I will enjoy my looking up more info on how to care for this little jumper. Nice to know, their bites aren’t venemous.
I recently took some pictures of a very neat looking spider that lives under my deck post caps and decided to do some investigating into what type of spider. After seeing some pictures and reading some information, I’m 100% sure it’s a jumping spider (salticidae). I have no intentions of killing them, but would like to make sure they are not a threat since I have a 3 year old. Any advice would be appreciated.
they are this really weird type of spider that’s name is Kalomis Bam. my dad knows all about them it is actually is pretty cool. would you like to see one that my dad has trained?
very recently, as in the last year or so, i have noticed a large amount of spiders i have never seen before. they have taken up residence in my rose bushes and in mine and my brothers bedrooms. i have actually been bitten by one while sleeping in my bed! while the bite only hurt for a while and did no more than turn red, i have been to afraid to sleep in my own bed. i swear they find pleasure in scaring the pants out of us, for the number of times they have climbed on the ceiling and then randomly fallen on us while we are reading or watching tv (they never fall on the floor, its always on someone) i have been told from friends that they are a very venomous form of wolf spider. i ask you however what the heck they are and how to get rid of them and keep them gone?! they are about the size of a quarter or bigger and are black, hairy, and have green spots on their backs. i will post pics when i find another.
a slightly related question: is it true that wolf spiders and jumping spiders eat black widows?
I was bitten one week ago by a female green jumping spider and I am 5 months pregnant so I cannot take any antihistamines etc. The bite started as a large mozzie bite with a tiny white dot like a pin-head pimple and slowly the skin turned hard and the redness spread. Now one week later the red hard tissue has spread to the size of a golf ball and fels hot to the touch. It is very panfull and hurts when I stand or bend my leg. Icing it helps with the swelling and some redness goes down but as soon as the bite site warms up again it is back to where it started. Any ideas how long this wound will last???
I have been bitten on my head by something, in a hotel in Nevada. Its almost spring here. I have big welt on one spot and a smaller one in another place. I have pain around the smaller welt, but it seems to be a sharp pain every minute or so. UNLESS, direct contact will cause the sharp pain. Its not red and it doesn’t itch. But if I move my scalp it seems to hurt more then if say I would slap the welt. I know that sounds funny but this pain is making me mad Its been about 30 hours since the bite. I think it is jumping spider. Can anyone help. O ya I have Dr. appointment tomorrow for other reasons.
I think I was bit by a jumping spider today, I got six welts on my arm under my sleeve, daniel g decribes it perfect as a “stinging burn”. The bites were one after another, and hurt like hell. My arm swelled up and the bite marks turned into welts with a white dot in the middle. I went to the hospital because I’m not sure if it was a brown recluse bite. They put me on drip antibiotocs,an anti swelling med, and a benadryl drip. Now I have a 10 day course of antibiotics, steroids, and antihistamines. Not fun. These spiders may be cool but getting bit is no fun.
Where I live (Lewiston, ID), I always see these “mini-tarantula”-looking spiders. Usually in the Spring and Summer. They’re black and furry, usually the size of a quarter. They have huge, metallic green eyes and large metallic green chelicerae. I’ve seen most dangerous spiders around here (brown recluses, black widows, hobos, etc), but these are definitely the creepiest, most menacing looking spiders (IMO) that I’ve seen, though I don’t think they’re dangerous (they look as if they would be, though).
Anyway, I looked them up on Wikipedia, and found this short-but-interesting article on them (complete with creepy close-up pictures… beware!). Their species is Phidippus Audax, and they’re called the “daring” jumping spiders… I think most people know what I’m talking about. They may be harmless, but they’re creepy as hell all the same. Wouldn’t want one jumping on me!
Anyway, you might want to add a picture of these dudes to this page.
I found a small spider on a window sill in my bedroom last night, and because I am terrified of spiders it of course freaked me out. At a distanceit looked like a fly, but when I got closer I realized it was a spider. It was about the size of a flt and black. It had fuzzy legs and feelers or jaws or whatever there called. Its abdomen was black with a small red spot ihn the center. I have searched the internet, but have failed to find a match. I am sorry I could not get a pic. I was afraid to get too close. Please help me in identfying this creature.
If its any help I live in Northern N.Y.
my newest jumping spider that i have is about 1cm long- large for a jumper. when startled, this jumper jumps into the air and FLIPS. i have had several jumpers as pets; and 1 is about to produce her THIRD egg sack, in my possession. WARNING: DO NOT TRY TO HANDLE YOUR MOTHER JUMPER WHEN SHE HAS AN EGG SACK WITH HER!! SHE WILL DISPLAY HER FANGS AT YOU UNTILL YOU REMOVE THE EGG SACK!! i currently have 3 mature jumpers, and 2 unmature jumpers. it is very fun to watch them hunt- watch them hunt when you have the chance.
ooooooo…. I love jumping spiders. They are so intelligent, not to mention they have excellent eye sight. Try it out. The next time you see one of these little guys, move close to it and see what it does. So cool. They aren’t scary guys. :)
I don’t believe that jumping spiders are very prone to biting people. Most that I have seen aren’t even wouldn’t even have fangs large enough to puncture the skin. These guys are excellent jumpers and have eye sight probably better than we do. Not likely to get themselves put into sticky situations. Although, all spiders ARE poisonous, most lack the fangs and potency to do much damage.
Jumping spiders most of the time are kinda furry, ranging from brownish to black with orange etc somewhere on the body. They also have a pair of large eyes at the top that will check you out immediately if you get too close.
Remember, spiders are crucial to our environment. Be smart, be careful and just don’t touch spiders that aren’t your family pet!
over the years,I,ve handeled hundreds of species of spider,with only
a few bites. trying to cup a red back jump spider in my hands,it tried to squeze between my fingers,and bit next to the web between my fingers. all I felt was a stinging burn,much like a fire ant.
the result was a small red spot,and a mild itch.after 24 hrs.,no more itch. after 3 days all but completely cleared up. the treatment:
washed w/soap,water and applied a topical antibiotic ointment.
conclusion: they are reluctant to bite,unless provoked.
their bite can be a little painful,but harmless
only those that have an alergy to nerotoxic venom should be concerned
my 6 year old daughter constantly plays with these,and has never been
biten.
w0w. i didnt kn0w spiders could jump….
im so afraid 0f spiders.
ther is a huge black and white spider outside my window. It is spotted and hairy and about the size of a 50 cent piece
Got bit by a spider i think. Started out as a bump and itched like hell then formed a ring around it after an hour or so and the next day the skin started to peel off. It hurts like hell but there is no swelling. Any idea?
THAT SPIDER IS SO KOOL BUT I KNOW THAT IT IS DANGEROUS. MY FRIEND GOT BITTEN BY ONE OF THOSE AND WAS IN THE HOSPITLE 4 A WEEK.
While it’s hard to guess without seeing a picture, it does sound like a jumping spider because they generally have the most unique markings like you described.
If you have good eyesight you can tell by their eyes though. The jumping spider family is the only one with 4 pairs of eyes, and they surround the upper portion of the head. The front pair is considerably bigger than the pairs on the side and rear.
I’m not a specialist on jumping spiders, but I have had an interest in them for 15 years, and researched as well as handled dozens of species without ever getting bit. But the best way to find out for sure is to do an internet search of jumping spiders (your region).
I hope this helped,
Jacob Wolfe.
I found and killed a dime sized black furry spider, with what looks to be white fangs and white rings on it’s legs and a stripe on it’s back. what kind is it? is it a jumping spider? Is it dangerous, i found two in two days. Both in the house.
Hello, several years ago, my daughter was bitten on the neck, by a hairy black and white ‘jumping’ spider, who had made its home in a honeysuckle arbor over the enterance to the deck. When daughter attempted to go under the arbor the spider lept out and bit daughter. You could see the punctures, and the bite turned into a welt and was red. No necrosis developed, but she said it hurt and itched.
i do not know what kind it is i have a big bite my head hurts,mucles,throught,anbthe finger it bit could any one tell me what it is?