I do so love a mystery...

Caught these 2 squaring off in my garden the other day!

Here's another beautiful beast I saw the next day on my jade plant:

Purple Gold Jumping Spider (Irura bidenticulata), family Salticidae, found in SE Asia

I made a quick little jumping spider body language guide!

This doesn’t cover the full range of silly little things they do, but I hope this helps you understand some of their basic poses! Spiders really dont like to bite humans and usually only do so as a last resort, so if you pay attention to their little warnings, you can avoid getting nipped! And if I forgot anything or other spider knowledgable ppl wanna add notes, feel free! 🕸️

Extra Notes:

I’m SO SORRY if my handwriting sucks and is hard to read, I whipped this shit up fast cuz I’m very busy and I’m gonna make a text doc version too which I will add later!

Chelicerae / Chels = the fanged mouthparts of the spider; they act almost like a sideways jaw. 🦷

Pedipalps / palps = the little front appendages closest to the chelicerae and fangs; they look like little paws or hands 🙌

Spider body language can subtly vary from species to species, and even from one individual spider to another. The more you observe spiders, the more you’ll recognize these little differences! Example: Some of my jumpers are very showy with their threat poses, others resort to a fear pose. Some I’ve never seen a defensive display from at all ! 🔍

I cannot guarantee that you will never be bitten by a spider, so always use caution! I’m very comfortable with handling them often but even I have been bitten before (my regal jumper Millie gave me a warning nip that didnt even break skin lol; it was my fault because I wasn’t respecting her boundaries) ‼️

Accidents can also happen, and though venomous, jumping spiders are not considered dangerous or deadly. That being said! If you are bitten, make sure you seek medical treatment right away. 🩺

Notch-mouthed Ground Beetle Dicaelus purpuratus

A ground beetle found in eastern North America.

Black bark snail, Pachnodus niger, Cerastidae

Found in the Seychelles

ough

my cute mole cricket basya

Silksong be making me LOSE MY MIND so here's a big worm that I made. Expect more of Patida and the other guy that I still need to name despite him being from like. 2019. Haven't drawn him once since I made him