Vienna House of the Sea Now with "White Bahamas" Spiders

Jumping spiders can now be admired in the Vienna House of the Sea. The zoo now houses "White Bahamas" spiders (Phidippus regius). "Although these eight-legged creatures, which are only about two centimeters in size, cannot impress with their size, they captivate with their extraordinary appearance and behavior," it was said on Monday in a press release from the House of the Sea. The spiders overcome distances by jumping, which can be many times their body length - and they do this with great precision.

Vienna House of the Sea is delighted with "White Bahamas" spiders

Thanks to their excellent vision, they also recognize colors and are skilled hunters: They spot their prey, such as flies or other small insects, in a flash and kill them with a targeted attack. With their light, whitish coloring, the metallically shimmering jaw claws and their eight large, forward-facing eyes, they are also a visual highlight, the House of the Sea was pleased about the newcomers.

"With these new inhabitants, we want to bring our visitors closer to fascinating small creatures that play an important role in nature. The jumping spiders impressively show how complex and fascinating even the smallest hunters in the animal world can be," reported zoo director Jeff Schreiner. There are more than 5,000 different species of jumping spiders worldwide. Even though a large part is native to the tropics, dozens of species also live in Europe.

(APA/Red)

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