# How territorial are jumping spiders?



## Cursed Lemon (Aug 30, 2008)

So I have this jumping spider...and the silly thing WON'T go away. I know it's the exact same spider that just keeps coming back, this is the third time I've spotted him in my apartment and I relocated him outside twice now. 

Maybe he likes me? ;( I'm about to make a pet outta this thing.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## SandyMuffinCakes94 (Aug 31, 2008)

you should they are the best spooders!  when i lived in california i had one that would do the same thing , found him in my fridge one day aha they are great gnat n ickie bug control around light fixtures!!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Aug 31, 2008)

According to several experts, salticids are often extremely territorial. They often engage in fights which, when not lethal to the combatants, can be hilarious to watch.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## SandyMuffinCakes94 (Aug 31, 2008)

haha i wanna see that

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Sep 2, 2008)

nrokin said:


> haha i wanna see that


It really is hilarious, especially on a vertical surface. They use every trick in their repertoire to gain the advantage. They often use their safety lines, sometimes jumping over the other spider and landing behind it. Since the combatants are usually so equally matched and their eyesight so acute, reacting to the slightest movement of the other, most of the time neither gains advantage and they just go round and round.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## calum (Sep 3, 2008)

hmmm.... i've kept a bunch of zebra's in a tiny box and they didn't fight. they just kept staring at each other.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## The Snark (Sep 4, 2008)

calum said:


> hmmm.... i've kept a bunch of zebra's in a tiny box and they didn't fight. they just kept staring at each other.


They appear to need to establish a given hunting territory first, and even then don't rigidly defend boundaries. Once one has patrolled an area it will face off other jumpers. Whether this is a territorial dispute or simply a pair of equally matched predators could be debated. 

However, they don't seem inclined to go at each other when in a synthetic environment such as your Zebra's and I would be delighted if someone could explain why.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## jynxxxedangel (Sep 4, 2008)

I have also observed jumpers returning to the same general vicinity repeatedly. They also seem to favor certain types of hunting vantage points, such as faucet spouts and rims of flowerpots.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Sep 5, 2008)

jynxxxedangel said:


> I have also observed jumpers returning to the same general vicinity repeatedly. They also seem to favor certain types of hunting vantage points, such as faucet spouts and rims of flowerpots.


I had one that insisted on patrolling my computer area. For about a month it would spend about a half hour trying to catch the mouse pointer on the screen, walk the perimeter of the monitor, and when I accommodated it, it would patrol the keyboard. It finally got so used to me it would walk the upper edge of the keyboard while I typed.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Cursed Lemon (Sep 5, 2008)

My roommate killed it when I moved out.

Reactions: Dislike 1


----------



## jynxxxedangel (Sep 26, 2008)

O noez!!!!! Poor little fuzzhead!!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## dragonblade71 (Sep 26, 2008)

Cursed Lemon: "My roommate killed it when I moved out."

I really don't understand why people do these things.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Motzo (Sep 29, 2008)

People kill spiders because they don't understand them. Humans fear what they don't understand, and apparently that's strong enough to kill for...

I own a P. Audax. The spider might have already made a tent-like home inside your house with it's web. They can find one of their previous homes to bunk in for the night easily.
Or, that's what I assume from my little bundle of joy's behavior ^_^

Reactions: Agree 2


----------

