Earlier this summer I had the good fortune to be able to watch a common white cheeked jumping spider (Pelegrina proterva) capture it’s prey. It was surprisingly agile and fast and the attack was over in just one or two seconds. The spider actually seemed to come out of no where and the insect was grabbed and bitten all in one quick move. The poor unsuspecting insect hardly even struggled because the neurotoxin in the venom injected in the bite acts so quickly. All of the photos were taken just after the attack as the spider kept the insect held in place while it waited to feed.

Fortunately, jumping spiders are very small and don’t usually bite people. In fact, their fangs are so small that it would be difficult for them, but even if one did manage a bite the venom is released in a very small volume that couldn’t harm a human being. I have quite a few of these little spiders around my house, and they jump on me from time to time when I photograph them, open my gate, or open a door. They may run around on my hand or arm and then jump off. I’ve never been bitten during probably hundreds of encounters. Usually they do it out of curiosity.