

Their scientific name, on the other hand, is a reference to: The white hairs that form stripes on their black bodies are the reason why they are referred to as zebra spiders.

This makes it the largest family of spiders on the planet, comprising about 13% of all species. There are over 600 different types of genera in this family and a total of over 6,000 spider species. The zebra spider or the zebra jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) is a species of spider that is part of the family “Salticidae.” It’s one of the 6,000 species of jumping spiders In this article, you’ll discover some of the most interesting facts about Zebra Spiders, a type of spider slow known as the zebra jumping spider. Although zebras are often considered to be rather cute animals, these 8-legged creatures are pretty scary. This fascinating spider fits this description. Zebra spiders have also been known to purposely touch other spiders webs to entice them over before attacking, which is something that only a few spiders have shown.When an animal is associated with a zebra, you can rest assured that it’s because they feature the same distinctive black and white stripes on their bodies. Because of this the zebra and indeed other jumping spiders, can sneak as close as they need to before striking. Most web-building spiders have very poor vision, and rely on the vibrations of their web to locate their prey. Also the smaller prey species that they usually like to feed on don’t tend to be found inside the home either, and tend to die off at the end of the summer themselves.Īnother interesting behaviour that zebra spiders exhibit is that they will readily feed on other spiders. Zebra spiders will rarely make their way inside buildings in the same manner though, as they usually die by the end of the summer. Normally towards the end of summer some spiders will make their way into the home, mainly because of the warmth. Many spiders by comparison have to either be a lot larger or rely on the aid of a web to kill their prey. This build also means that it is comparatively strong for its size, allowing it to overpower as well as surprise its prey. It is so powerfully built in fact that it can leap up a vertical surface, which is something that few other species can do.
ZEBRA SPIDER WEB TV
For example if they were to watch TV the images would be too slow for them to perceive as a moving image, giving it the appearance of a slide show.Ĭompared to most spiders the zebra spider has short legs and a stocky body, which allow it to leap very powerfully and to run extremely fast as well. This is because their eyes perceive things faster then ours, or in fact many animals do. If you were to approach one on a wall rather then fleeing as their first response they are quite happy to observe you unless you actually try to attack or eat them. Unlike most spiders zebra spiders also have excellent eyesight and because of this aren’t immediately alarmed when they encounter a human. From there they can pounce and kill their prey very quickly. Their usual method of hunting is to get close to prey on the ground by sneaking up to it on an adjacent vertical surface. Although because they must physically subdue their prey they cannot take anything much larger or stronger than themselves, as they are unaided by webs to trap their prey before attacking it. The prey of zebra spiders ranges from ants to mosquitoes, and pretty much everything in between. Mainly this is useful because the zebra spider stalks and then jumps on its prey, and so needs to get fairly close to it. The black and white camouflage in this case is useful because it helps to hide the spider against dark backgrounds and also to predators makes it look like a bird dropping from above. Zebra spiders (Salticus scenicus) are so named because of their black and white stripes, similar to that of a zebra. However there are many traits and behaviours exhibited by the zebra spider, which set it apart from most spiders and make it a most fascinating species to study It can be found in almost every climate and is a common sight in warm weather in and around the home. The zebra spider is one of the most common spiders in the world, and is probably the best known amongst the jumping spider family.
