This will haunt my dreams: spiders who are fascinated by humans

Oh dear God in heaven, please say it isn't so!

Discovery news is reporting some creepy info about spiders. As an arachnahobe, I really shouldn't have checked out the article. No sleep for me tonight...

Eight-eyed jumping spiders have a near 360-degree view of the world, according to a new study that also found these spiders can be captivated by humans and nature videos.

The study, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, presents a detailed look at how each of these spiders' eight eyes works. During the experiments, the researchers also discovered that the spiders sometimes become fixated on certain nature videos, as well as people.

"Whereas many spiders, like black widows or the brown recluse, tend to avoid people, jumping spiders often seem quite fearless," co-author Elizabeth Jakob told Discovery News. "I doubt that they mistake large objects, such as people, as prey, but they are certainly interested to know whether you pose a threat.

Further reading reveals even more disturbing info...

Jumping spiders not only have keen vision, but also a gregarious nature and a seemingly insatiable curiosity about humans and nearly everything else.

"If a spider turns to look at you, it is almost certainly a jumping spider," Jakob said, adding that they respond to their own mirror images and watch videos showing insects.

When shown videos of moving crickets, the spiders will attack the screen. Jakob said you "can hear the click of their fangs on the screen" as they try to chomp the virtual insects. In the wild, they stalk prey "much like a cat stalks a mouse, following it and tackling it."

Just for the record, if a spider "turns to look at me," I'm gone.

Enjoy, ATS. I have to go on a spider hunt now or no sleep for me!

I have always loved jumping spiders, I could always tell they where different spiders.

Originally posted by RobertF
I have always loved jumping spiders, I could always tell they where different spiders.

Ya know, I 2nd that. I *do not* like spiders as a rule, but jumping spiders are ok with me. I dunno why they don't give me the willies like the others do - but they ok in my book.

I have guts spiders don't bother me ...but snakes! I am like Indiana Jones!

reply to post by smyleegrl


Just for you:



It really happened

reply to post by smyleegrl


Smyleegirl,

I had one of these spiders, one morning, on a particular not-so-legal plant that I was tending.

I then noticed two of them. One was a creamy colour and the other was a dark maroon colour, but both seemed to be the same species.

The creamy one looked like it had a head that just kept looking around. That freaked me out a bit. Then, as it dropped down on a web rope to the next leaf, it spun around and looked straight at me. That freaked me out so I thought I'd just move because surely it wouldn't keep looking at me.

It did. It tracked my face as I moved 360 degrees around the terracotta pot.

I'm almost certain that these guys are the next evolution in spider.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Spider curious of people,observing them?My wildest horror dreams are coming true.If a spider ever jumped on me,some psychiatrist somewhere will be set up for life.

Eeek. We have them out here, but they're rather small and bulky, so when they land on me outside, I just flick them off. I always thought that they only accidentally landed on me, but now I know better.

I used to have a horrific spider phobia, until I moved out to the country and there were so many of them that I finally just stopped freaking out.

When the spiders learn to work in teams to take people down like the fire ants do, that's when I'll get scared!

Not as intense now, but I used to raise tarantulas.. collectors, entomologists, etc buy them. A business im part owner in is based around arachnids and inverts.
Having been around them a LOT.. there are several types of arachnids/spiders whathaveyou, that are like this. They are very sensitive to our presence and watch us. I have a gooty ornamental that I swear can tell my voice from everyone else's...LOL!

COOL thread. Those jumpers are so small.. our patio crawls with them in the late summer.

Thanks for the nightmare juice. I really gotta learn to not click links containing the word spider...
After seeing that pic of the spider in someones ear I'm seriously considering sleeping with a sheer stalking over my head.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Thanks a lot OP, I am also freaked oujt by spiders, and now that I know they are actually watching me and not just attracted to motion.....bbbbrrrruuuuuuggghhh!

I am gonna stay awake for a week now, just waiting on the one I keep seeing in my house coming to bite my face in my sleep.

I luv' it,
We eat the buggers in our sleep, I'm not sure of the volume though. The notions vary for a lifetimes eating, if their bits pass through our digestive system, it could be any number as that could be noted in an autopsy and the number of different bits counted. if not, then just some....now and again?

reply to post by smyleegrl

I actually met a spider like this when I was in Morocco, I could tell it was watching me and then it started jumping towards me NOOOOOOOOOOOOO haha.

I feel sorry for the arachnophobes, They are really missing out. I currently have about a 6 larger spiders here living free of charge in the house for the winter. 2 Jumping Spiders, and 4 Orb Weavers. They are great to have in here. They take care of all kinds of troublesome insects over the winter. They are happy in here. Jumping spiders in particular are vary entertaining. Orb Weavers are like a lazy dog, Eat and rest. Jumping spiders are quite active and give hours of entertainment. All are friendly.

That's actually very interesting and confirms some of my suspicions, thanks OP. I don't mind spiders and I was brought up believing they were good luck to have around (Old wives tale or something to do with Robert the Bruce) Anyway I just let them get on with it, there are some great webs in the dark corners of my house and they keep the population of other more annoying and less attractive house guests such as earwigs and house flies to a minimum.

Originally posted by Pegasus2000
I feel sorry for the arachnophobes, They are really missing out. I currently have about a 6 larger spiders here living free of charge in the house for the winter. 2 Jumping Spiders, and 4 Orb Weavers. They are great to have in here. They take care of all kinds of troublesome insects over the winter. They are happy in here. Jumping spiders in particular are vary entertaining. Orb Weavers are like a lazy dog, Eat and rest. Jumping spiders are quite active and give hours of entertainment. All are friendly.

You know, I'm terrified of spiders but orb weavers fascinate me. I think its the pretty colors. If I find them OUTSIDE the house I leave them all alone (except black widows, they die on the spot). I will even name the beautiful yellow "writing" spiders (they all get the name Herman, don't know why) and watch them from a safe distance of ten feet or so.

Its just when they come into the house that we have problems.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Got one more for ya.

This is so strange, I was just talking about these little guys with my husband just yesterday, more particularly this video



I have seen other videos which showed them being equally as curious about what's going on around them, all the time.
We had one of them chillin in our mailbox for a couple months, cute little black one, and every time we opened the mail box he'd come charging to the front to greet us.
When I was little they were all over my grandparent's house and property and we had hours of fun with them.
BTW, as the size goes up the creepier they get lol. I've always thought that these little guys were somehow different.
Normally if spiders don't surprise me, they get to live. We don't really have many poisonous ones 'round these parts anyway, the yellow sac spiders can leave a nasty bite so they are kill on sight. Brown recluse have been known to show up from time to time, and those are also kill on sight. My other rule is, if you are smaller than my thumb you can stay, if you are the size of my palm (wolf spiders and grass spiders usually) you get a free round trip back outside.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

Got one more for ya.

You, my friend, are the epitome of evil.

This is supposed to be used as a deterrent against people breaking into your house. Freakin awesome idea if you ask me.




Although, it may cause people to fire weapons into your house. I know I might, if I saw that in my neighbor's windows.