Are Jumping Spiders Poisonous?

Don’t worry! That small jumping spider on your window ledge isn’t going to attack. Some people fear them because of their pouncing movements.

These spiders do have venom , but it is not poisonous to humans. Jumping spiders usually try to avoid you before biting you. In fact, they’re a beneficial species because they help control pest populations.

Long distance jumpers

There are more than 6,000 species of jumping spiders in the family Salticidae. They have incredible vision and are expert jumpers when hunting prey. They can jump up to 50 times their body length and capture their prey with amazing agility.

Jumping spiders are small, usually around 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) in length. For example, the female regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius) is 0.87 inches (22 mm) in length while her male partner is 0.59 inches (15 mm) in length. Hyllus giganteus, the giant jumping spider, varies in size between 0.71–0.98 inches (18 mm–25 mm).

Jumping spiders can be found waiting patiently outside for a meal on bushes, brick walls, near doors or windows. They live all over the world, except in Antarctica.

Jumping spiders are carnivores

Most jumping spiders are carnivores . They mostly consume small insects, such as flies and moths. They partake in other arthropods like beetles and ants, and even small lizards or frogs. Jumping spiders don’t use webs to ensnare their prey. They use their vision to locate food and then pounce on it with lightning speed. One spider that does not fit this category is the species Bagheera kiplingi. It steals Beltian bodies from the ants that live on acacia trees.

How jumping spiders hunt their prey

One of the best adaptations of a jumping spider is its eyesight. Their eye arrangement features four pairs of eyes with the large middle pair located close together on the front of the face. Their field of vision is almost 360 degrees.

Jumping spiders don’t have extensor muscles in their legs. They rely on their “blood,” called hemolymph, for circulation and locomotion . In preparation for a jump, the spider increases pressure on their hemolymph, which extends the spider’s legs. Altogether, the spider’s eight legs push out into a full extension and launch the spider into the air. It releases a silk dragline behind itself for stabilization and in case it would need to escape from predators .

It lands on its prey and bites it with its fangs. Spiders don’t have jaws like humans, but chelicarae . Its mouth is behind the chelicerae. The jumping spider’s fangs will impale the prey as the chelicerae move. The venom is injected at that time, and the spider begins masticating .

Steps to take if you’re bitten by a jumping spider

If you’re bitten by a jumping spider, the reaction should be mild, like a mosquito bite. There can be swelling, redness, and itching. If you have an allergic reaction, see your health care provider right away.

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Glossary

Venom: the poisonous secretion of an animal, produced by specialized glands that are often associated with spines, teeth, stings, or other piercing devices

Carnivore: an organism that mostly eats meat, or the flesh of animals

Arthropods: an invertebrate animal that has an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages

Beltian bodies: structures found on the tips of leaflets in some acacias, rich in lipids and proteins

Extensor muscles: any of the muscles that increase the angle between members of a limb, as by straightening the elbow or knee or bending the wrist or spine

Hemolymph: the circulatory fluid of various invertebrate animals that is functionally comparable to the blood and lymph of vertebrates

Locomotion: any of a variety of movements among animals that results in progression from one place to another

Dragline: a line of silk produced by a spider and acting as a safety line or (in a newly hatched spiderlings) a parachute

Chelicerae: jointed appendages near the mouth of some arthropods (spiders, scorpions, crustacea)

Masticating: grinding, crushing, and chewing (food) with or as if with the teeth in preparation for swallowing

Predator: an organism that primarily gets food by killing and consuming other organisms