I thought this was an interesting article about the cognitive abilities of jumping spiders.
Theres so much we don’t know about animals and maybe we can one day put the rest the (imo) ridiculous idea of anthropomorphism. Imo its just a way to not acknowledge that animals infact have feelings etc. Basically if you can deny any form of “human” characteristics you can do whatever you please to them. Sure we may have 86 billion neurons but even the “disgusting” cockroach has 1,000,000. Just because an animal isn’t able to vocalize doesn’t mean they don’t have intelligence or feelings.
I just KNEW they looked at ya a little more intensely than if you were just another part of their environment honestly if a similar discovery hasn’t been made about mantids I would expect a similar finding soon; they just look at you a little too intently…with a little bit of mantid malice
Theres a lot of highly intelligent inverts and other animals. They actually have plans to test other inverts and i hope they do.
I know form experience that jumping spiders are highly expressive and intelligent besides being immensely cute .
I really hope that one day we see our animals as capable, resourceful and intelligent. I kinda feel we use our abilities and try to compare them by our standards. It was kinda like when i asked my apt. Mgr. To get me an adaptive stove in my apartment and he was like “this one is fine” im like you are tall and standing. Try sitting down and reach the knobs at the back of the stove without burning your arm. He was like “oh, i see what you mean now, ill get you a different stove”
To quote a great man:
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid .” Albert Einstein
I feel that we do this to animals, we judge their abilities by comparing to ourselves when they should be compared to their own.
All true! My tarantula is tap trained via creating vibrations at the bottom of her tank near her webs to signal food time. If we adapt our training/learning methods to the specialties of the animal, I think they would all surprise us.
I must say, I’m not all that surprised. Jumpers have always seemed like smart little cookies to me.
I gotta get me some jumping spiders. I have an arboreal Tarantula Crib that currently houses a tomato horn worm that just pupated (plucked from the garden at work, wanted to save the tomato plants but didn’t have the heart to kill the big beautiful worm). Once the moth emerges, I plan to release it, freeing up a perfect enclosure for a jumper!
Just a quick note that they may be illegal to release, depending on where you live, as they are agricultural pests. I keep my moths in a mesh ‘butterfly’ cage and feed them hummingbird nectar from a miniature hummingbird feeder.
A lot of jumping spider fans seem to be getting into velvet spiders for that reason. They’ve piqued my curiosity!
My exact qualm with mantids! So beautiful and spooky and fun to watch, but such a short lifespan for most species (especially the more ornamental ones)
I know it may sound wierd but scorpions use to really creep me out, one day i decided to challenge myself with just 1 to get over my fear and not feel creeped out. I bow have like 40 scorpions.
Exposure “therapy” can help if one is willing to try. Of course im not saying you have to try it however.
You may end up surprising yourself.
Even if it was taken from the wild to begin with? I know the worms can be a pain for gardens/farmers, but it’s my understanding that the moths are good pollinators. I can’t find anything about it being illegal to release them in my state.
Depending where you’re at they might be considered an invasive species. Even if it is legal, it would be a moral decision whether to release or dispatch it.
honestly if a similar discovery hasn’t been made about mantids I would expect a similar finding soon; they just look at you a little too intently…with a little bit of mantid malice 
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