You may have already read our article on these wonderful little critters, or you may be brand new to the website, in which case welcome! Let’s get straight to it and answer the question for you, no messing about. How long DO jumping spiders live?
The average life span of a jumping spider is roughly between six months and two years although it is possible for them to reach three years if they’re kept in captivity. Climate and indeed temperature are the main contributing factors as to how long a jumping spider will live.
That’s the quick answer, so unfortunately, they don’t live very long but if you care to read on, you can find out more about the life-cycle of the jumping spider.
Egg Sac
The first stage of a jumping spiders life starts when the little spider is in an egg inside a tiny egg sac. Unlike most spiders, mom doesn’t carry the egg sac around with her, she glues it with silk to wherever she has decided to place it.
The egg sac itself is very strong and made entirely of silk. Although she doesn’t carry it around with her, she will stay very close and continue to hold it with her little legs, looking after her babies.
Spiderlings
In a few weeks, the eggs will hatch into little spiderlings no bigger than a mm in length. There is usually around 50 babies in each sac, just dying to get out and explore.
If you’re keeping jumping spiders in captivity, now is a good time to separate mom from her babies as it is a real possibility that they will eat her for sustenance. If you do this, they will eat fruit flies as an alternative.
It is also a possibility that mom will refuse food and die of starvation so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on her and make sure she’s eating well. Crickets are a good choice to feed her during this time.
In the wild, females tend to kill the male after mating so although her spiderlings will be fatherless, at least they’ll have plenty of food!
Adult Jumping Spider
After molting 5 or 6 times, the jumping spider becomes a full adult. Male jumping spiders no longer molt once they are mature, their sole goal is to find a female and mate before they die.
This process is slightly different to when tarantulas mate. The male jumping spider shows a display of waving legs to the female, trying to get her to become responsive to his advances. Once she has accepted him, he will climb onto her back, access his spermatic sac and they will mate.
Watch this video of a Peackock Jumping Spiders mating ritual. Fascinating!
How Long is a Jumping Spider Gravid?
The female will be gravid for a day to two weeks before laying her own egg sac. And then the cycle will start again.
FUN FACT: Jumping spiders are able to store fertilization for up to a year!
We have further information on Spider Advisor about jumping spiders here