The grey wall jumping spider is a brilliant jumping spider with lots of unique qualities that will interest spider lovers. Because of its unique antics and special hunting skills, many exotic pet lovers are looking to breed the gray wall jumper in captivity.
While our spider friend belongs to the family Salticidae, it is a pantropical species. This explains why you’ll commonly find it on walls of buildings or tree trunks from where it unleashes its impeccable hunting skills.
If you’re as intrigued as we are about the gray wall jumping spider, then you won’t be disappointed to read further as we have put together some exciting details about the gray wall jumping spider you’d love to check out.
What is the scientific name of the gray wall jumping spider?
While many people have come to know our spider friend as the gray wall jumping spider or the gray wall jumper, this fascinating species of spider is scientifically called the Menemerus Bivittatus. One unique thing about the gray wall jumper is its ability to thrive in almost all environments.
Although they seem to enjoy the heat available in tropical regions, they also don’t shy away from temperate regions. So it isn’t surprising to find this jumping spider species in the South of the United States.
Physical description and size
As its name suggests, this umping spider species has a predominantly brown body covered with grayish-white hairs. And just so you know, the color will look like a mixture of shades of gray. With this, you’ll notice that the gray wall jumper sports dark and light gray patches on its entire body.
Similarly, the gray wall jumping spider also features two black stripes on either side of its carapace and abdomen. Just around their four legs, you’ll notice conspicuous black rings. While the males have black dorsal stripes on either side of their abdomen, the females have a darker brown body and two black bands on their carapace.
In terms of size, the females are slightly bigger than their male counterparts. While the females measure between 7 to 10mm in length, the males have a smaller body length that measures between 5 to 7mm.
Where is the gray wall jumper from?
Although the gray wall jumping spider is native to Africa, it has been widely introduced. This has resulted in a cosmopolitan distribution. In America today, the gray wall jumper has been sighted in Texas, Florida, California, and as far as Paraguay. That’s not all; there have also been reported sightings of this jumping spider species in Colombia, Venezuela, and some Caribbean islands.
Habitat and distribution
Like we mentioned earlier, the gray wall jumping spider loves the heat available in tropical regions; this explains why it is native to Africa. That said, our spider friend thrives very well in almost all environments, including temperate regions. From rain forests to tropical woodlands and even savanna, our spider friends can be easily spotted on tree trunks or walls of buildings, where they patiently wait and seek out prey.
Diet and feeding
Even though the gray wall jumping spider doesn’t use its webs for hunting, it is still a brilliant and skillful hunter that can actively seek out prey and take it down using its precision jumps.
Thanks to its excellent vision and impeccable jumping skills, our spider friend can take on small and large insects. Our leaper friends like to feed on insects like mosquitoes, flies, small crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, and more in the wild. On a starving day, gray wall jumping spiders can feast on other smaller spiders, especially web-building spiders.
However, if you plan on raising them in captivity, you’ll have to provide feeder insects for them. And that shouldn’t be an issue as you can easily catch feeder insects around your home or get them from pet stores close to you.
What is their temperament?
If you’re incredibly thrilled about jumping spiders, we are sure by now you’ll know that most jumping spiders are super friendly. And with the gray wall jumping spider, you get more of the same. That said, our spider friends will bite when they are handled roughly or feel threatened. So, you must handle them gently, so you don’t end up getting bitten.
Is it dangerous or venomous to humans?
If you’re not particularly familiar with spiders, you may get freaked out the first time you come across a jumping spider. But just so you know, the gray wall jumping spider is one of the most friendly jumping spiders you’ll come across.
Although they can bite and have venoms that can incapacitate their prey, their venom isn’t harmful to humans. If you ever get bitten by a gray wall jumping spider, you’ll only experience slight pain, redness, and irritations that subsides after a couple of days.
Frequently asked questions: Learn more about the gray wall jumping spider.
How long can they survive in the wild?
Although most jumping spiders have a very short lifespan, the gray wall jumping spider can survive for nearly a year and a half in the wild. When bred in captivity, they tend to survive much longer as they can live for up to 3 years. Similarly, females live longer than their male counterparts.
What do they eat?
Gray wall jumpers can take on both small and large insects. In the wild, our spider friends will feast on insects such as mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, and even smaller web-building spiders.
Can you keep gray wall jumpers as pets?
Because of their friendly personality, gray wall jumpers will make an amazing pet for exotic pet lovers. Also, because their venom isn’t harmful to humans, you can rest assured that you’ll not suffer any serious harm if you ever get bitten by these leapers.
Conclusion
If you like jumping spiders, we have no doubt that the gray wall jumping spider will interest you. Though it doesn’t have much going for it in terms of colors, its impressive vision, vicious hunting skills and its ability to thrive in almost all environment will thrill you.
