#phidippus

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. 🩺

Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus carneus), B - female, T - male, family Salticidae, Sonoran Desert, near Tucson, Arizona, USA

Victory Jumper (Phidippus nikites) Adult Female ♀️

And after weeks of hard work, she finally emerged for a full grooming session:

✨ Pedipalps cleaned

✨ Face washed

✨ Legs carefully scrubbed

Phidippus purpuratus is a large jumping spider most often found in Canada and the northern US, where they live on the ground or among boulders in exposed, rocky habitats like mountaintops and sea cliffs. This is a rather different lifestyle from some of their more arboreal cousins, and I assume they rely on the warmth of sun-baked rocks to sustain activity in the cold and windswept places they inhabit.

They’re well camouflaged among the lichen covered granite on this mountain in Maine, probably because they have to be- more conspicuously colored jumpers like P. regius and audax often have the option to drop into dense vegetation when threatened, but I saw these hunting on bare rock with nowhere to run should they face the misfortune of being spotted by a bird.