Even if you dislike spiders and beetles, these amazing facts about regal jumping spiders could alter your opinion.
How? Well, for starters, jumping spiders are the most beautiful creatures with the most adorable appearance you’ll ever see.
Regal jumping spiders may not be the standard pets you will find in every household and on walls of the building.
But the tide is steadily shifting as more people become receptive to keeping and learning more about them. They are the most active critters in South Carolina, North Carolina, and South Mississippi.
You have come to the right place if you want to acquire a royal jumping spider or are just interested to know about them.
We will cover every facet of these intriguing species in this essay. Hold on tight, and it will be a fun and educational ride!
Table of Contents
Taxonomical Classification of Regal Jumping Spiders
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Arthropoda |
Subphylum | Chelicerata |
Class | Arachnida |
Order | Araneae |
Infraorder | Araneomorphae |
Family | Salticidae |
Genus | Phidippus |
Species | Phidippus regius |
Habitat of Phidippus Regius
Except for the extreme polar areas, regal jumping spiders can be found in nearly every environment on the planet.
However, most of them can be found in tropical forests or densely forested locations with moderate climates.
Jumping spiders reside in secluded spots such as gardens, the bark of trees, and light woodlands.
They like to build silken nests on palm fronds (leaves of palm trees) and can infiltrate homes while pursuing their prey. So the only way to avoid jumping spiders is to travel to the Arctic or Antarctica.
They may dwell in open environments like farms, deserts, rainforests, or even severely cold mountainous terrain. If you have trees or plants in your backyard, you might be able to discover some.
The appearance of the Regal Jumping spider
The adult spiders are less than one centimeter long, and the beautiful color scheme is essential in identifying jumping spiders.
They are significantly more vivid than other families of spiders and frequently have vibrant bright bluish-green colors all over their bodies. The color patterns in males primarily include white spots or stripes.
Regal jumping spiders are sexually dimorphic, with various characteristics that create differences between males from females. The male’s electric blue chelicerae are one of the most prominent indicators.
Females’ chelicerae are usually covered by their palpi. Females also come in a broader range of beautiful body patterns than males.
Female regal jumping spiders are somewhat more giant and bulkier than males, measuring 0.28 to 0.87 inches (7 to 22 mm) in maturity.
Adult males, on the other hand, only grow from 0.24 and 0.71 inches (6 to 18 mm) in body length. They have longer forelegs and are thinner in appearance.
The eyes of jumping spiders are unusually arranged: Two tiny eyes flank two large eyes in the center of their rectangular heads. Their four enormous eyes, however, provide them with exceptional vision.
Jumping spiders rely on segmented limbs and blood flow to perform their incredible leaps.
When the spiders are preparing to jump, they tighten the muscles in their upper bodies, causing a dramatic shift in hemolymph pressure.
This shift drives blood to their legs, causing them to lengthen quickly. Their legs’ swift and abrupt extension drives them in the desired direction.
Food Habits of regal jumping spider
Phidippus regius spiders are primarily carnivorous. Their primary food source is tiny feeder insects like crickets, flightless fruit flies, moths, and other spiders. They also love to eat pollen, nectar, and vegetation on occasion.
You may feed them the same food they consume in the wild if you keep them as pets. Spiderlings should only be fed once or two times per week. When they reach adulthood, you can feed them mealworms or crickets.
Removing leftover food items from the spider’s habitat during molting is critical since it can jeopardize the well-being spider.
The personality of Regal Spiders
These non-aggressive spiders can be excellent pets. They are one of the world’s most clever spiders and will enjoy communicating with you. Individual spiders have distinctive qualities, as you will discover.
Some of them are shy and fearful. Others are more relaxed and simply observant of the surrounding.
They are also one of the friendliest spiders, so you won’t get bitten as long as you touch them carefully.
Phidippus spiders are entirely diurnal, meaning they are active during the daytime and return to nests at night. Their excellent eyesight helps them prey efficiently.
Regarding social behavior, the charming pet jumping spider will be a little jumpy around people. When they aren’t taken off by surprise, they may remain frozen for a time.
Reproduction and Breeding in Jumping spiders
After one or three weeks of reaching adulthood, a full-grown male regal jumping spider will pair with the female, who will then lay eggs. Based on the size of the female, the number of eggs ranges from 50 to 200 or more.
Actual jumping spider mating starts when the male typically begins to woo by paddling vigorously to captivate the female.
The female will make it difficult for him until she discovers the one who has won her heart.
At this point, the male will have sperm ready for ejaculation. If the seduction is viable, he will deposit his sperm into the female’s genitals in the lower abdomen.
Certain jumping spiders may mate with many males and retain the sperms while waiting for the best male to fertilize female eggs.
Like other spider species, the worst tragedy is when the female gobbles up her lover!
The female spiders will lay hundreds of eggs in one egg sac. Some spiders will be killed, while others will survive to care for their hatchlings. After a few days, the sac ruptures, and the young escape.
Some arachnids may carry their young on their backs for around ten days before releasing them to forage for themselves.
The lifespan of Regal Jumping Spider
The regal jumping spider has a short lifetime. It may survive for fewer than ten months in the natural, yet it may exist in confinement for two years.
The regal jumping spider has a shorter lifetime than other spiders like tarantulas and trapdoors.
Regardless, it has a lot going for it and is an excellent choice for a first arachnid companion. Fortunately, keeping a regal jumping spider as a pet can prolong its life by two to three years.
There is an invasive species of frog in Florida named the Cuban frogs, whose hunting grounds have consumed many easygoing spiders. The Cuban tree frog is responsible for the uneven lifespan of many jumping spiders.
Parasites, fungi, nematodes, and foreign microorganisms can still infiltrate your spider’s body if not managed properly.
They can also perish from pesticide inhalation or not obtaining enough (or drinking too much) water.
Regal Jumping Spider as pets
The regal jumping spiders are attractive and make excellent pets for even inexperienced owners.
They also have distinct skill sets that distinguish them from other exotic pets. They are wild creatures with distinct habitats, behaviors, and lifestyles. Since they eat both plants and insects, they have an easy diet.
But the regal spiders are challenging to pet with simple care. Establishing a clean enclosure with a well-ventilated cage to place some branches or twigs is mandatory.
Please prepare an enclosure with a water dish to regulate humidity levels and keep them hydrated.
Proper maintenance, like other pets, is essential for maintaining a positive connection with your regal jumping spider. Consider buying one now, and you will enjoy being a spider parent.
You can raise regal spiders in an aquarium tank. Some basic care requirements for raising the pet regal spiders are:
- Make sure you always look for any dehydrated spider,
- The long-due uneaten food should be removed to prevent bacterial infections,
- Spray the enclosure with water to make sure the humidity maintains the body fluid of critters,
- There should be a food variety choice for spiders to eat,
- The enclosure setup should have adequate space.
Fun Facts about tiny jumping spiders
- There are about 4,000 species of jumping spiders, including over 300 endemics, in the United States and Canada. Jumping spider species represent 13% of total spider diversity.
- To better comprehend the species’ leaping ability, researchers at the University of Manchester trained a royal jumping spider to jump on demand.
- Jumping spiders have excellent hearing even though they lack ears and ear drums. Sensory hairs on their body absorb the vibration of sound waves, sending information to their brains.
- Each male spider “sings” his unique song, transmitting buzzes, scuffs, flicks, and pings to a nearby female spider. The wave frequency of vibrations travels through the floor into the female’s legs, where sensory hairs detect them. If the female is not pleased, she will occasionally swallow the male.
- Some species of jumping spiders, such as the Phidippus audax, or “bold jumping spiders,” can jump up to 50 times their body length.
- This family of spiders employs webbing as a dragline to catch themselves (An efficient hunting strategy) if a prey strike fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Regal Jumping Spiders capable of biting humans?
These curious spiders are not hazardous to humans or pets since they do not bite. The uncommon spider bites can occur if they sense threats.
Are the Regal Jumping Spiders poisonous?
Humans are not harmed by the bite of a regal jumping spider. They generate a mild irritant that one can ease with simple medical care. The sole symptoms of a bite are swelling, itching, and redness in the bitten region.
Do Jumping Spiders explode?
The pressurized liquid that lets the regal jumping spider move about also causes it to burst anytime interested scientists have attempted to use surgical tools to look into its brain.
Are Regal Jumping Spiders intelligent?
Despite having a brain the size of a poppy seed, jumping spiders are surprisingly intelligent.
How do you bond with a Regal Jumping Spider?
Bonding with these cuties comes at a price! Make sure you refrain from attempting to handle your spider casually. If you must transfer it, attempt to push him into a cup with a piece of plastic or another object.
Now that’s all there is to these beautiful and jumpy critters. So, when are you heading to the forest to get a pet spider?
Other common anthropods might have the most significant impact on human survival. Read an article on 60 facts on honey bees that will make you realize that everything on our plate results from the bees’ hard work.
(Last Updated on September 6, 2022 by Sadrish Dabadi)