Here’s a Contradiction For Ya: Cute Spider

So I must have mentioned this at one point or another, but I absolutely HATE spiders. Just the thought of one creeping close to me gives me the heebie-jeebies…especially ever since my friend told me that saying which goes something like, “You are never more than three feet from a spider.” Yeah, that definitely killed a little bit of my soul.

But okay, okay now here’s the thing – this spider… dare I say it… is actually pretty cute. Like, I possibly, maybe, could potentially bare to be next to this thing. Maybe.

This is a Red-faced Jumping Spider (Habronattus coecatus) which is just one of dozens of species of jumping spiders. These creatures are pretty interesting:

* Jumpers can jump 20 to 60 or even 75 to 80 times the length of its body.

* Jumping spiders have incredible vision; better than any other kind of spider. With his eight eyes a jumper can see in almost every direction at once and is often regarded as one of nature’s best stalkers

* Just before it jumps, it tethers a filament of silk to whatever it is standing on. Should it fall for one reason or another, it climbs back up the silk tether.

* Jumping spiders are known for their curiosity. If approached by a human hand, instead of scuttling away to safety as most spiders do, the jumping spider will usually leap and turn to face the hand. Further approach may result in the spider jumping backwards while still eyeing the hand. The tiny creature will even raise its forelimbs and hold its ground. It might even jump on the hand.

Right, so I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole curious/hand jumping thing…. actually, scratch that. I’d definitely just freak out. No question.

facts via: Bored Panda