Fun Bold Jumping Spider Facts For Kids

The Phidippus audax is a North American jumping spider. It's also known as the daring jumping spider or the bold jumping spider and belongs to the family Salticidae.

This family is a group of jumping spiders that are all relatively large and are identified by their iridescent chelicerae. Their belly and legs are typically black with a pattern of dots and stripes and these spots are mostly orange-tinted in the young ones, but when the spider matures, they become translucent.

Adult spiders in some areas of Florida, on the other hand, are commonly spotted with black, orange, white, or red spots. The chelicerae (parts of their mouth) are a glossy green or blue hue.

This brazen jumping spider is one of North America's most famous jumping spiders. Forests, prairies, farms, yards, houses, and even our vehicles are home to them but don't be alarmed, they aren't harmful.

They occasionally bite, and if they do, their bite will merely irritate the flesh. It shouldn't cause any real harm.

Phidippus audax (bold jumping spiders) can be found from southeastern Canada to western British Columbia, south of Florida, northern Mexico, and the Gulf Coast. These species may not have existed in the arid southwest before modern settlement and agriculture, and it is believed that it was brought there by humans.

The genus has also been introduced to the Hawaiian islands and can be found on the island of Cuba too!

They have exceptional stereoscopic vision, much like other jumping spiders, thanks to their big, forward-facing eyes. This helps them stalk prey and communicate visually with other members of their genus, such as during courting dances.

If you enjoy learning about the bold jumping spider, you might like our other articles on the hobo spider or the wolf spider.

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Bold Jumping Spider Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bold jumping spider?

Bold jumping spiders belong to the spider family.

What class of animal does a bold jumping spider belong to?

Bold jumping spiders come under the class of Arachnida.

How many bold jumping spiders are there in the world?

The exact population of bold jumping spiders is not known as of yet.

Where does a bold jumping spider live?

Daring jumping spiders are present in a wide variety of environments, including urban, residential, and rural settings. Grasslands, prairies, old farms, backyards, parks, and open woodlands are among their natural habitats.

This species can also invade homes and outside buildings, but it is more likely to be found in barns, tree trunks, storage sheds, and under branches or in-ground litter than in homes.

What is a bold jumping spider's habitat?

Grasslands, prairies, and open woodlands are natural environments for the daring jumping spider. They can also be found building webs in agricultural habitats, especially in fields, as well as in backyards and gardens.

The Phidippus audax, like most jumping spiders, prefers to hunt in comparatively open environments since they deliberately search and stalk prey rather than building webs to capture tiny insects. Webs are only seen while they are laying eggs or hiding as their webs are not efficient enough to catch food.

They are most commonly found in fields and grasslands and on gates, exterior walls, and gardens. Many jumping spiders tend to like smooth vertical surfaces, which allows them to easily detect and track down wandering insects.

Who do bold jumping spiders live with?

During the day, these bold jumpers, like most jumping spiders, stalk their prey alone. Other than during mating, these species prefer being alone.

How long does a bold jumping spider live?

The lifespan of daring jumping spiders is between one and two years.

How do they reproduce?

The male courting the female is the first step in the mating process. There is a species-specific courtship display that involves foreleg, palp, and chelicerae action. The male raises some of his legs to show his colored dots to attract a female, but the male flees if the female advances too quickly.

Bold jumpers reach sexual maturity in the spring, mate in the late spring or early summer, and develop numerous egg sacs in the year. A female may have up to six clutches of eggs, each containing 30-170 eggs, and her later clutches are usually smaller than earlier clutches.

Breeding can be more continuous in colder temperatures, and adults can live longer. Females protect their eggs in a silk shelter before they hatch and the spiderlings scatter.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status is currently Not Evaluated.

Bold Jumping Spider Fun Facts

What do bold jumping spiders look like?

Bold jumper spiders have bright colors and a white line crosses the upper portion of the black spider's abdomen. Closer to the back are two vivid white dots and white hairy spots cover the pedipalps and thighs.

Their abdomen and legs are typically black with a pattern of dots and stripes. The eight eyes on its head are its most distinguishing characteristic.

The anterior median (AM) eyes, which face forward, are the largest of all their eyes. When anyone stares at a spider, these eyes are the ones that return the stare! The narrower anterior lateral (AL) eyes are on the right of the anterior median eyes.

The posterior median (PM) and posterior-lateral (PL) eyes are situated behind the AL eyes, nearly on top of the head. Jumping spiders have exceptional vision and their hunting and courtship rituals require this excellent vision.

The cephalothorax and abdomen of these spiders are hairy, with short white hairs. The abdomen is well defined and there is a wide, triangular white spot in the middle of the abdomen, with two smaller spots posterior and lateral to it.

The big spot can be orange in juveniles, and spot variations vary throughout the genus, but spots are often white, yellow, or orange.

Two oblique lateral streaks can be seen in some individuals. The chelicerae are a stunning iridescent green color, and males are thinner than females, with more iridescence on the chelicerae and more contrasting marks.

How cute are they?

Bold jumper spiders are not considered to be a cute species. These predators are often considered scary and gross instead, but we'll leave it up to you. Do you think they are cute?

How do they communicate?

Bold jumpers have excellent vision and rely on it extensively in order to communicate and hunt. They also have chemical and tactile senses. They use their eyes primarily to search for prey and predators.

In reproductive behavior, their vision is also very important. Males interact with prospective partners by using visual cues such as leg raising. Both for finding mates and good breeding, tactile and chemical communication is important.

How big is a bold jumping spider?

Males of the species are 0.23-0.51 in (0.58-1.29 cm), and females are 0.31-0.59 in (0.78-1.4 cm) and are about the size of a fingernail.

How fast can a bold jumping spider move?

These daring jumping spiders can move fast to catch their prey insects or escape the predators. Their exact speed has never been measured.

How much does a bold jumping spider weigh?

The species weighs just 0.0004 oz (13.5 mg) on average. Pretty light-weight, don't you think?

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no specific male and female names within this bold jumper species from North America.

What would you call a baby bold jumping spider?

The specific name for a bold jumper spider baby is a bold jumping spiderling.

What do they eat?

Bold jumpers are predatory carnivores so these spiders consume a wide range of insects and spiders. They have been found consuming a number of insect species in cotton fields, including boll weevils, adults and larvae of bollworms (cotton moths), and tarnished plant bugs, including pink bollworms and tobacco budworms.

These spiders have also been seen preying on hobo spiders in Idaho.

During the day, bold jumping spiders are active hunters, but not at night. These spiders use their sharp vision to find prey, then dive upon it and bite it, releasing venom.

They have been observed attacking various types of prey with varying stalking tactics, targeting flies from a different angle and leaping from a further distance than caterpillars. Also, male and female brazen jumpers prey in different ways.

Males favor smaller animals and devote less time to hunting and feeding than females. To get more calories from their prey, females choose larger prey and eat more often.

Are they harmful?

Bold jumper spiders, like other spiders, occasionally bite humans. Though bold jumping spider bite symptoms can vary, the most common ones are discomfort, scratching, swelling, and redness that lasts for one to two days. Can we call the bold jumping spider poisonous? Yes! However, they are not hugely dangerous or harmful when compared to some other, more lethal, spiders.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, this species can make good pets. A bold jumping spider pet is a lot of work, to ensure that you create the right environment for your pet to thrive, but for spider enthusiasts, it can be a rewarding pet!

Did you know...

During courtship, males dance and 'sing' for the females. Their music consists of taps, ground tapping, and buzzing. The male must impress the female because she might eat him if she isn't interested in him!

Bold jumping spiders generally eat every few days.

Daring jumping spiders are notorious for catching prey that is bigger than themselves, but they don't all use the same techniques.

Researchers have looked in detail at the leaps of jumping spiders in order to enhance the jumping ability of robots. The University Of Manchester's researchers even taught a regal jumping spider to leap on command in order to study her leaps!

How far can bold jumping spiders jump?

This brave jumping spider, also known as the bold jumping spider, is said to be capable of jumping four times its own body length.

How does the bold jumping spider affect biodiversity?

The Phidippus audax is an important insect predator that has an effect on the population of insects in its habitat. As predators of a number of insects that damage cotton crops, these spiders may be able to help minimize populations of these pest insects.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods, including the six-eyed sand spider or the puss moth.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our Bold jumping spider coloring pages.

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