How Good Are Spiders Memories?
WouterSpiders are very intelligent creatures. They can build webs, learn and even memorise prey. They can use this information to solve spatially challenging problems. They can also reverse learned associations between stimuli.
In one experiment, researchers tested how good spiders memories are. They built a virtual reality system for spiders to observe and interact with. These spiders were then used as model organisms for learning research.
The system was set up with two towers with viewing screens. They placed a screen between the spider and lure for 90 seconds. Then they removed the screen. The spider would jump over the lure.
This was repeated many times. At the end of the trial, the spider formed a mental representation of the prey. It then made a decision. It was not distracted by the live prey. It also avoided attacks on different prey.
This is similar to human infants’ ability to deduce meaning by seeing surprises. In a similar way, some spiders use silk to reduce the effective dimension of space. This saves cognitive resources.
These spiders have small brains. This makes them ideal candidates for extended cognition. They have a smaller brain size than other animals with complex activities. This allows them to make rapid and efficient decisions.
They can also adjust their behaviour when conditions change. For example, they may enlarge a section of the web if they catch more prey. In the case of the black widow, 50% of its memory is based on pre-vibrations. The spider remembers the number, type, and features of its prey. It can also form a search image of the prey after a single encounter.
