Zebra Jumping Spider
Fast Facts
Latin name: Salticus scenicus
Notable feature: Black and white striped pattern over their body.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Where in the UK: Widespread in England and Wales, less so in Scotland. They are widespread across western and central Europe.
Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus) © Jennie Smith
The Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus) is a member of the largest family of spiders on the planet, called the Salticidae. There are over 6,000 known species in this family, which accounts for around 13% of all spider species. Jumping spiders have large, forward facing eyes that enable excellent eyesight, they are also known for acrobatic jumping skills.
Jumping spiders as a group can often be difficult to tell apart due in part to their size and similarities in appearance. There are three Salticus species in the UK, all of which can have black and white striped bodies – so some care is needed in identification. However, the Zebra Jumping Spider is the species most likely to be encountered in your back garden.
Zebra Jumping Spiders hunt by stalking, and use their impressive jumping abilities and eyesight to swiftly and accurately pounce on their prey before delivering a venomous, paralysing bite
These spiders can typically be found hunting for prey on rocks, walls and fences in gardens, or you might find one watching out for prey indoors by a window.
- Size: Between 5-7mm long.
- Life span: 6 months to 2 years.
- Diet: Small insects.
- Reproduction: Zebra Jumping Spider eyesight also plays a part in courtship where males undertake elaborate dances to woo a female. Their front legs and pedipalps (which are two leg-like appendages near their mouthparts) wave to the female, and they bob their abdomen up and down. If the male has successfully enticed the female’s attention, she will let the male approach to mate. There is a risk however that the female will mistake the smaller male as prey so he must take his chances. The female will receive a sperm sac from the male to fertilise her eggs, which she carries as a sac on her own body. When they first hatch the female will guard her young until they are more grown.
- When to see: May to July.
- Population Trend: Unknown.
- Threats: Habitat loss, pesticides.
- Interesting Fact: Jumping spiders don’t build silk webs to catch their prey like many other arachnids, but they do use it when hunting. Once they’ve caught sight of their prey, and before they pounce, the Zebra Jumping Spider will stick a silk thread to the surface that they’re on so that they can climb back up it and try to pounce again if they miss.
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