Spiders as pets? Some people say yes

NPR turned to a spider expert at the University of Cincinnati to learn more about the appeal of jumping spiders that some people keep as pets.

According to NPR, even people who once were afraid of spiders have learned to love having jumping spiders as companions. Social media has a robust community of spider-loving pet owners who share videos of their furry friends.

UC College of Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Nathan Morehouse has studied the unique sensory abilities of spiders around the world. He said jumping spiders typically don't build webs but actively hunt their prey, which requires keen senses.

“These animals are working with a brain about the size of a poppy seed. So it's tiny. And the complexity of their behavior is surprising given how small their brains are,“ Morehouse told NPR.

Jumping spiders have keen color vision. They execute a hunting strategy, he said.

“They really do act like little cats in a certain way as they stalk things and play with things and move around,“ he said.

Most recently, Morehouse and his students examined why some jumping spiders try to mimic predatory insects such as wasps and praying mantises. The ruse was good enough to fool artificial intelligence in experiments. They say the spiders might use the ruse to attract the attention of females before breaking the illusion to court them. 

Read the NPR story.

Featured image at top: NPR says more people are buying jumping spiders as pets. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC