Are Spiders Affectionate?
WouterSpiders are known to be intelligent creatures, but are they affectionate? Some species of arachnids are known to bond with their young. However, most are solitary and don’t exhibit social behavior.
Many people associate arachnids with aggressive predatory cannibalism. Some scientists believe that the lack of social and emotional capabilities mean that arachnids aren’t suited for attachment or bonding. But new research suggests that they do have feelings.
The scientists studied two whip-spider species. They discovered that the mother whip spider would stroke the offspring with feelers. This behavior is known as maternal instinct.
When threatened, the arachnids huddled together. The researchers also found that the spiders were very sensitive to sound. They could pick up the sounds of panic and terror.
While these findings indicate that spiders may have emotions, they also show that they don’t understand them. They only react to stimuli in their environment. For example, if a spider sees a stick, it will think that the stick is a threat. But it can still be able to pick up the sound of a person’s scream.
In the past, researchers have believed that spiders do not have the ability to detect faces. But a new study by Massimo de Agro argues that they do. His study was based on experiments at Harvard University and published in PLOS Biology.
While he doesn’t believe spiders are capable of emotional expression, de Agro does think that they have some memories. This is because they have chemical receptors on their legs. This helps them tell apart scents.
