Two Master Predators Of The Arthropod World

These are right up there, as one of the top predators among arthropods.

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Jumping Spiders: If at all a comparison of sorts is needed, I think it would be safe to say that they are the ‘Tigers’ in the world of arthropods. They don’t build webs to capture their prey. Majority of the jumping spiders don’t lie in wait for the unsuspecting prey to come by. Instead, they actively go looking for one. They are masters at stalking. Slowly and stealthily they close in on their potential prey and at that opportune moment, with one quick dash, grasp and bite, bring it down, very much like a big cat, a Tiger more so, as these are solitary hunters too! Jumping spiders have all the qualities that are needed to be a successful hunters. Powerful sight, stealth and speed enable them to bring down prey, often bigger in size than themselves. They have four pair of eyes, just like most of the other spiders. However, the arrangement and their size relative to the jumper’s overall body size, is what makes them different. Two pair of eyes in the front and two pair on top of their head ( cephalothorax ). These eyes together, create a field of vision that is almost 360 degrees. With them, they are able to detect the slightest of movements around them and act accordingly. If you try to move back and forth or sideways while looking at a jumper, you will see that they too respond by tracking your movement. In addition to help detecting movement, their eyes help in assessing distance between them and their target. Very powerful vision indeed. A jumping spider may be anywhere between 1 and 22 mm in body length.