Oh My God What Happened to My Spider???

[kamakiri]

Christ alive! I'm not believing my EYES! Look at my last thread and you will see that I captured quite the smallest jumping spider I had ever seen—look at the closeup and you'll see that it looks like a Zebra jumping spider.

That first day—going on two or three weeks ago—I fed him his first meal, a fruit fly. He jumped on it immediately and when I came back the spider wasn't holding the fly any more but had retreated to his silk "cocoon" that he had made on a little crevice on the rim of the container.

The next time I came to see him in the corner of the container rim—very close to his cocoon—I saw what looked like a husk of an insect. I couldn't tell if it was the fly or a spider moult (do they leave a shell?) but from then on I rarely saw the spider.

Then I introduced another fruit fly and to feed HIM I put in a small piece of apple.

And then, about four days ago, I caught what looked like another jumper, even smaller than the first. I put him in the container and that was about three days ago or so.

Meanwhile, the original fruitfly was buzzing around, seemingly refreshed by the piece of apple.

BUT THEN, TODAY WHEN I WENT TO LOOK INTO THE CONTAINER I SAW A GIANT <edit> SPIDER that looks nothing like a jumper and is easily 8-10 times larger than the one I originally put in!

There is NO WAY any of those animals got in OR out—the lid is sealed tight except for pinholes in the top of the plastic film.

WHAT IS THIS THING??? (Magnify—it should go up significantly so you can see what this . . . THING is

 

[Poonjab]

Calm down. You misidentified and it molted.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Calm down. You misidentified and it molted.

Not misidentified. Looks like you had a hitchhiker on decor likely. It probably ate the jumper.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

looks like a yellow sac spider. agree it probably hitched a ride in on decor or something. they're very common, and yes, they'll happily eat a jumper.

 

[kamakiri]

First of all, I didn't misidentify: the original jumper I caught was a Zebra jumper. Second of all, last night I used my magnifying glass to try to find my jumper, in the potting soil that is lining the bottom of the container (to about 1cm) and there was NO SIGN of my jumper and certainly no sign of THIS behemoth.

Whatever the hell it was, how did it grow to ten times its size in a few days?

Obviously if it's not a jumper I don't want it, but I don't think I could keep it anyway, since there is a healthy fruitfly buzzing around in there with him and he hasn't eaten it.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

either it was hiding - they're very good at that - or your container isn't sealed as well as you think it is.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

First of all, I didn't misidentify: the original jumper I caught was a Zebra jumper. Second of all, last night I used my magnifying glass to try to find my jumper, in the potting soil that is lining the bottom of the container (to about 1cm) and there was NO SIGN of my jumper and certainly no sign of THIS behemoth.

Whatever the hell it was, how did it grow to ten times its size in a few days?

Obviously if it's not a jumper I don't want it, but I don't think I could keep it anyway, since there is a healthy fruitfly buzzing around in there with him and he hasn't eaten it.

It didn’t grow 10x it’s size in a few days, these are different spiders. That other spider was a zebra jumper.

 

[kamakiri]

either it was hiding - they're very good at that - or your container isn't sealed as well as you think it is.

It just doesn't make sense. The spider is impossibly big to have gotten IN from OUTside . . . I have the Saran Wrap on top of the container stretched tight and IT is secured by a very taut rubber band, and has been that way since the original jumper went in.

Unless . . . the newer spider I caught on the balcony—which I observed jumping from spot to spot—was a spiderling version of Goliath up there. But I thought moulting just increased their size a little, not tripled or quadrupled it.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

It just doesn't make sense. The spider is impossibly big to have gotten IN from OUTside . . . I have the Saran Wrap on top of the container stretched tight and IT is secured by a very taut rubber band, and has been that way since the original jumper went in.

Unless . . . the newer spider I caught on the balcony—which I observed jumping from spot to spot—was a spiderling version of Goliath up there. But I thought moulting just increased their size a little, not tripled or quadrupled it.

Sac spiders do not grow that quickly. There are only two options: 1. the spider was already there hiding on/in decor or 2. it somehow got in.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

OH MY GOD THAT THING IS MASSIVE!!! LORD HAVE MERCY

 

[MrGhostMantis]

OH MY GOD THAT THING IS MASSIVE!!! LORD HAVE MERCY

I want to make a joke so bad…

Restrain your self Ghost restrain yourself!

 

[Jonathan6303]

I never saw such

I want to make a joke so bad…

Restrain your self Ghost restrain yourself!

i know what you mean. About your spider. The most probable reason is that you missed the sac spider when you were looking. There are much bigger spiders then sac spiders. Sac spiders are hunters and they eat fellow arachnid.

Not misidentified. Looks like you had a hitchhiker on decor likely. It probably ate the jumper.

Kinda reminds me of basin spiders and that big piece of cork bark

Just noticed a smart little web on some cork bark I bought. Managed the get a video of the occupant. Any ideas what it could be?

A screen shot of the spider.

 

[Edan bandoot]

Have we ruled out transmogrification?

 

[Thearachnidaddict]

Idk what y’all are talking about just looks like a normal zebra jumper to me

 

[Nicole C G]

My guess is it’s not as sealed as you think. Also, never add multiple jumping spiders to the same enclosure. They can be cannibalistic. Can we see the actual enclosure?

 

[The Snark]

Also, never add multiple jumping spiders to the same enclosure. They can be cannibalistic

From observation, the mature males are arbitrarily territorial. Will attack other males when they feel like it whereever they happen to be. Remarkably like dogs, ignoring each other most of the time and then the sudden face off and snarling fight. The females ....fussy. If she feels like it and the male conducts himself properly she will mate, otherwise, often most of the time, she considers males a nuisance or snack.
With males, I think encountering another male's safety lines sets them off, roughly equivalent to pissing on things to establish territory. In an enclosure they would be a three ring circus of fights.

 

[kamakiri]

My guess is it’s not as sealed as you think. Also, never add multiple jumping spiders to the same enclosure. They can be cannibalistic. Can we see the actual enclosure?

Sorry, yes, Nicole, I will try to take a photo and upload it. But there have been developments—see below.

An update: Last evening, when I went to see what was up with the enclosure, the large spider had gone down to the potting soil floor and just appeared to be crouching, not moving, right on the apple piece (about 1/3 inch all around) that I had put in the day before.

THEN, this morning, when I went to look, I saw a small hole—smaller than the larger spider, but nevertheless, a hole that hadn't been there before (the first day I stretched the cling film over the top I poked holes all around the top with a sharp pin so that the air supply wouldn't be used up. I know that's kind of a stupid thought but I wouldn't want my spiders to die of CO2 poisoning) which looked to be one of the pinholes, enlarged by something from within—and no spider.

So he's out to join his million buddies to prowl the walls of the house and I was just about to close up shop and dump the soil except . . . I saw a tiny speck crawling up one of the sides of the container. I brought the magnifying glass to see, and what was it but a tiny jumper! I don't think it's the original spider that I photographed and that was a zebra jumper—this one was small than that but it was definitely a jumper; I could tell from his shape.

So now it's a mystery within a mystery. I took the cling wrap off the container and replaced it with a fresh one and while I was at it I dropped in a tablespoon of water to moisten the soil, and that's that . . . so let's see what happens tonight!

 

[Jonathan6303]

An update: Last evening, when I went to see what was up with the enclosure, the large spider had gone down to the potting soil floor and just appeared to be crouching, not moving, right on the apple piece (about 1/3 inch all around) that I had put in the day before.

THEN, this morning, when I went to look, I saw a small hole—smaller than the larger spider, but nevertheless, a hole that hadn't been there before (the first day I stretched the cling film over the top I poked holes all around the top with a sharp pin so that the air supply wouldn't be used up. I know that's kind of a stupid thought but I wouldn't want my spiders to die of CO2 poisoning) which looked to be one of the pinholes, enlarged by something from within—and no spider.

So he's out to join his million buddies to prowl the walls of the house and I was just about to close up shop and dump the soil except . . . I saw a tiny speck crawling up one of the sides of the container. I brought the magnifying glass to see, and what was it but a tiny jumper! I don't think it's the original spider that I photographed and that was a zebra jumper—this one was small than that but it was definitely a jumper; I could tell from his shape.

So now it's a mystery within a mystery. I took the cling wrap off the container and replaced it with a fresh one and while I was at it I dropped in a tablespoon of water to moisten the soil, and that's that . . . so let's see what happens tonight!

If you want to keep your specimen you will need an actual lid. Cling wrap will do nothing and the spider will escape

 

[Edan bandoot]

If you want to keep your specimen you will need an actual lid. Cling wrap will do nothing and the spider will escape

I use cling wrap lids for my tarantula slings below 1.5" without issue, wouldn't reccomend it to other people though.

 

[Nicole C G]

From observation, the mature males are arbitrarily territorial. Will attack other males when they feel like it whereever they happen to be. Remarkably like dogs, ignoring each other most of the time and then the sudden face off and snarling fight. The females ....fussy. If she feels like it and the male conducts himself properly she will mate, otherwise, often most of the time, she considers males a nuisance or snack.
With males, I think encountering another male's safety lines sets them off, roughly equivalent to on things to establish territory. In an enclosure they would be a three ring circus of fights.

Here is an interesting observation on iNaturalist of two female Eris militaris standing off for territory. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/18632679