Australia’s Peacock Spider
June 17, 2016
Ready to meet spiders you’re not afraid of? Seven new species of peacock spiders have been discovered, and instead of running for cover or screaming from the sight of them, you’ll want to watch and hold these tiny jumping spiders with dazzling colors and fancy dance moves. Peacock spiders, found only in Australia, are less than a ¼ of an inch (6 millimeters) long. Males from these species are brightly colored and have elaborate rolling and shaking dances and displays to win over potential mates. A male peacock spider has to be careful, though: if the female is unimpressed, she may decide to eat him instead!
Peacock spiders are jumping spiders. Jumping spiders don’t spin webs, instead they hunt by sneaking up and pouncing on their prey. These spiders have short legs, but they can jump more than 40 times the length of their bodies. Thick, colored hairs cover their bodies, especially on their first pair of legs (out of four pairs, remember). Jumping spiders possess excellent vision. Male jumping spiders rank among the most colorful of all spiders and use their colors to attract females.
Jurgen Otto, a German-born Australian scientist, discovered and named these new peacock spiders—along with spider experts David Knowles and David Hill—and published his findings in Peckhamia, the American jumping spider journal (you knew there was one, right?). Otto saw his first peacock spider in 2005, while he was on a family walk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in New South Wales, near Sydney. Something flashy and small jumped in his path. After first spotting these spiders with jewel-colored tail flaps, it took him three years to find them again. So, if you see a tiny spider jumping on the ground, don’t step on it, it might just be a brand new species—hopefully, a swaggering, romantic species with fancy dance moves, like these newly discovered peacock spiders!