The bronze jumping spider, and friends. But as pets?

Left:  four different jumping spider species.  Right:  Bronze jumping spider (Sassacus vitis)

With over 6000 species of jumping spiders worldwide, and more than 300 in the US and Canada, chances are that you have seen more than just one or two species.

The most common ones, here in BC anyway, are the Zebra jumping spider and Johnson's jumping spider (the first and second insets on the left).  The third one is a species I photographed in Alberta and the fourth one is a jumping spider I photographed in New Zealand.  The bronze jumper was photographed a few weeks ago when I was in Clearwater, BC.

I wrote a blog on the zebra jumping spider about 4 years ago (click here).  There are some interesting facts there that I won't repeat.  Jumping spiders have become popular pets, are easy to keep, and can form surprising bonds with their owners/feeders.  I watched a good video on one fellow's spider, it is worth a watch.  Click here if you want to see it.

I think jumping spiders are relatively intelligent, and they do develop relationships with people.  It comes down to trust and food.  Some stores like PetSmart may stock them, or you can buy them on line from a place such as Arthropods.ca.  Their spiders aren't cheap though, $50 or $75 CAD for something that lives a year or two.

Still, if you get bit by the trend, or get the bug, as it were, a jumping spider might just be for you.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harjit Bahia - Science teacher and colleague from Garibaldi died August 2, 2024

Image
You will be missed Mr. Bahia.  You made a difference and we are sad you are gone. I keep in loose contact with my fellow retired teachers from Garibaldi Secondary School.  I talked with my long-time friend, Mike Lynch, today, and discovered that Hargit died over the summer.  Unbeknownst to him, he had an underlying heart condition and passed away after working out on his treadmill.  The date was August 2, 2024. I was shocked to hear this.  He was only 49 years old, turning 50 some 3 months later.  It was a shock to everyone, for he was loved by all who knew him.  As a teacher, Mr. Bahia was kind and fun.  He contributed to students in many ways and was always available to help those in need.   For myself, I knew him as a fellow science teacher and taught in the adjoining room to him.  He was always available to help, share ideas, and work together.  Easy to approach, I found that I could talk to him about anything and appreciat...
Read more

The hard workers aboard the Ruby Princess

Image
A worker cleaning the Grand Hall at 3:00 in the morning I salute the hard working men and women of the cruise line industry.  They come from all over the world, each one looking to find work, possibly a career, and to help both themselves and their families have better lives.  It isn't easy, and many have to work long hours and are isolated from the passengers and passenger-areas aboard the ships.  They don't partake of the luxuries experienced by the guests and have a limited amount of free time.  But most of them wouldn't trade it for any other job they have ever had. I was photographing the Grand Hall aboard the Ruby Princess early in the morning before the place was crowded with guests.  While there, I met a gentleman cleaning floors and took some shots of him, asking permission first.  I also got quite a few photos of the hall itself without people; I used my 14-30 mm ultra-wide angle lens on a full-frame camera to get the three-story plaza in my viewf...
Read more

Henry Fair - A good man lost to us all.

Image
There is a great deal I have always appreciated about Henry Fair.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is that he was kind.  He always had time, always expressed himself well, and always cared for kids.  I think that's the second thing that comes to mind; Henry had a great passion for kids.   His devotion to helping others was best illustrated by his time spent teaching alternate learning at Garibaldi Secondary School.  KOALA (Kids On Alternate Learning Aims) was a program for at-risk youth that Henry ran for many years.  He was compassionate and understanding towards those under his purview and treated everyone with the same degree of care and professionalism.   One of the more amazing things about Henry was that nothing seemed to phase him.  I can tell you from experience that a remedial program will test the patience and metal of anyone, yet he never let it get to him.  Every student was valuable to him and wor...
Read more