# Tan Jumping Spider (*platycryptus undatus*) The Tan Jumping Spider is a small and lively spider known for its incredible jumping ability! These little creatures are great at catching insects and are often found in gardens and grassy areas. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 135 - **Habitat:** Gardens, grassy areas, and shrubs. - **Also known as:** Active Spider ![Tan Jumping Spider](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Platycryptus_undatus_0719.jpg&width=800) Photo: David Hill, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Platycryptus_undatus_0719.jpg) ## Appearance The Tan Jumping Spider is a small, stout spider typically tan to grayish-brown with a flattened body, often featuring a distinctive herringbone pattern on its abdomen. It has large, forward-facing eyes, giving it excellent vision, and sometimes shows white stripes under its eyes, especially males. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Salticidae - **Genus:** Platycryptus ## Interesting facts - Despite being tiny, their intelligence allows them to plan hunting routes to catch tricky prey. - Tan Jumping Spiders clean their large front eyes by wiping them with their tiny leg-like pedipalps! - Their eight eyes are arranged for 360-degree vision, with two giant forward-facing ones for focus! - They perform elaborate, unique courtship dances to attract a mate, showing off their patterns! ## Special abilities - **Super Sight:** Tan Jumping Spider has incredibly sharp eyesight that helps them spot tiny prey from a distance. - **Leaping Hunter:** Tan Jumping Spider can leap many times its body length to pounce on unsuspecting insects with precision. - **Safety Net:** Tan Jumping Spider spins a silk dragline that acts as a safety rope for jumps and quick descents. - **Natural Camouflage:** Tan Jumping Spider has a mottled brown and tan coloration that helps them blend perfectly into tree bark. ## Measurements & details - **Size:** 8-13 mm - **Lifespan:** 300-450 days - **Leg Count:** 8 ## Diet & Feeding Tiny predators, they eat many different small insects they hunt with their excellent eyesight. - **Primary Foods:** flies, mosquitoes, small caterpillars, moths, aphids - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — a quick protein meal on sunny walls. - **Hunts:** [Yellow Fever Mosquito](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-fever-mosquito) (*Aedes aegypti*) — helping to control pesky insect populations. - **Eaten by:** [White-breasted Nuthatch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-breasted-nuthatch) (*Sitta carolinensis*) — a small, nutritious snack for hungry birds. - **Eaten by:** Green Anole (*Anolis carolinensis*) — a common meal for garden lizards. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Tan Jumping Spider? Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How big is Tan Jumping Spider? 8-13 mm ### How long does Tan Jumping Spider live? 300-450 days ### What does Tan Jumping Spider eat? Tiny predators, they eat many different small insects they hunt with their excellent eyesight. ### Where is Tan Jumping Spider usually found? Gardens, grassy areas, and shrubs. ### How does Tan Jumping Spider hunt? Ambush ### How many legs does Tan Jumping Spider have? 8 ## Where to spot - [Anderson Japanese Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/anderson-japanese-gardens) — Illinois, US · Botanical Garden - [Ashton Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ashton-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Bean Hill Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bean-hill-historic-district) — Connecticut, US · Historic District - [Blackstone Boulevard–Cole Avenue–Grotto Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackstone-boulevard-cole-avenue-grotto-avenue-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Broadway Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/broadway-avenue-historic-district) — Michigan, US · Historic District - [Broadway-Armory Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/broadway-armory-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District [View all places to see Tan Jumping Spider](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/tan-jumping-spider) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Tan Jumping Spider: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tan-jumping-spider)