How Do Spiders Follow You?
WouterSpiders have been associated with the goddess Neith in ancient Egypt. They also serve as a reminder of interconnectedness. The spider is a symbol of awe, strength, humility, and vulnerability.
Despite their appearance, spiders are tiny creatures. They are able to detect sound, vibrations, and air flow changes. They can also detect when people and animals are nearby.
Scientists are studying how these tiny creatures see, taste, and smell. This research could lead to new bio-inspired sensors.
For instance, they can recognize the faces of other jumping spiders. However, they cannot recognize humans. That is because the spiders’ main eyes are only used to view what is in front of them.
To detect the presence of predators, the spiders sense vibrations. This is similar to the human sense of hearing. They can hear sounds from 3 to 5 metres away.
They can also recognize the position of prey, including the location of a particular silk strand. Similarly, they can remember the angle of the silk strand and how far the last strand was from the previous one. They can also detect the movement of an object out of the environmental din.
They have chemical-sensitive hair sensors that can detect when an incoming stimulus is moving. For example, when a spider with painted eyes is presented with a moving object, it will turn toward the motion it has detected. This helps to communicate the location of the moving object to its secondary eyes.
