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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing jumping spiders. Be sure to jump on that sub button to keep up with new animal episodes! With more than 5,000 species to their name, jumping spiders make up the largest family of spiders living today. That might seem like a scary statistic, but luckily for anyone with a fear of arachnids, jumping spiders are not only cute and cuddly, they also present pretty much no threat to a human. This should be a relieving fact because these spiders are found just about everywhere on earth with the exception of the coldest polar regions. They’ve even been seen catching prey more than four miles (6.4km) up the slopes of Mount Everest! Of course, their adventurous attitude doesn’t stop at mountain climbing.

Per their name sake, jumping spiders, well, jump. They can launch themselves into the air covering a distance well beyond the length of their body. Now, to be fair, these spiders aren’t so huge with most averaging about half an inch (12.7mm) in length, but considering humans on average can’t even horizontally jump twice their height, these spiders can sure out jump us, and that’s without a running start! The way jumping spiders perform this acrobatic act is not completely understood. Jumping spiders don’t have the giant leg muscles seen in other jumping arthropods such as grasshoppers, and there’s thought they use rapid changes in their blood pressure to extend their legs quickly, but this still needs further research. No matter how they do it, or how cute they look doing it, I know I wouldn’t want to be the prey on the other end of their leap.

Those kawaii eyes aren’t just for appearing adorable - jumping spiders are precision hunters. Though some jumping spiders do eat nectar and other plant material, the vast majority of them are skilled carnivores. Of course, jumping spiders don’t spin webs to catch their prey, and this is where their keen eyesight comes in handy. Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes. The most prominent eyes are featured front and center of their cephalothorax and act as the primary vision center, though the other sets of eyes are pivotal to the jumping spider’s success in catching prey. When not seeking food in the form of insects, other spiders, and even frogs and lizards, jumping spiders set their eyes to one another.

Jumping spiders come in a variety of shapes and colors. Some of them appear iridescent, others put on bright displays, heck, some even mimic ants - so it’s fair to say that the way jumping spiders find love can vary depending on the species. Generally speaking, male jumping spiders, who are almost always smaller than their female counterparts, will put on a show to attract female attentions. Some species even make clicking, buzzing, and scraping sounds to draw in their lady lovers. If he’s lucky, he’ll get the chance to pass on his genes. Jumping spider mamas will typically lay their eggs in a silken case for protection. They’ll often stick around until the kids are born, and some jumping spider moms even stay until after the kids grow up. Some jumping spider species produce a substance likened to mammal milk for their offspring which they’ll feed their children until they reach maturity and sometimes even longer. It’s kind of like the flamingo “milk” we talked about in our last episode.

How long they’ll live really depends on the species. One famous jumping spider who lived to be ten months old actually went to space and back before succumbing to old age.

For more facts on jumping spiders, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you enjoyed this video, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.