Jumping Spider
Scientific Name: Salticidae (This is the family, as the exact species is difficult to determine from the image alone, but it is definitively a jumping spider.)
Order & Family: Order: Araneae, Family: Salticidae
Size: Generally small, ranging from 1 mm to 25 mm (0.04 to 1 inch) in body length, with most common species being between 3 mm and 15 mm.
Natural Habitat
Widely distributed and can be found in various habitats, including forests, grasslands, deserts, gardens, and inside human dwellings. They are often seen on vertical surfaces like walls, fences, and window frames due to their hunting strategy.
Diet & Feeding
Mainly small insects and other arthropods, such as flies, mosquitoes, and small crickets. They are predators and inject venom into their prey.
Behavior Patterns
Jumping spiders are active hunters during the day. They have excellent vision and stalk their prey, often making precise jumps to capture insects. They do not build webs for catching prey, but rather use silk for safety lines, to build silken retreats for resting, molting, or laying eggs, and for dispersal (ballooning). They are generally solitary.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: Jumping spiders are generally not considered dangerous to humans. They are not aggressive and will usually flee if threatened. While they can bite if provoked or accidentally pressed against the skin, their venom is not medically significant to humans, typically resulting in only mild, localized pain, redness, or itching, similar to a bee sting. Benefits: They are beneficial as natural pest control, preying on many common household and garden insect pests.
Identified on: 7/7/2025