Have You Seen This? Genius ninja spider shows off super powers

(BBC Earth, YouTube)


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THE HUNT — We've seen spiders that cast nets, spiders capable of carrying mice and swarms of spiders in slot canyons, but none of those compare to the unbelievable skills of the jumping spider.

In a clip from BBC Earth’s “The Hunt,” Portia the jumping spider shows off these unique abilities that put her genus toward the top of her species' food chain.

Despite being terrified of all crawling creatures, I was mesmerized by this video. Maybe it’s the soothing narration provided by Sir David Attenborough or the fun, cartoony sound effects, but dare I say, Portia the spider is even a little bit cute?

Yesterday's Have You Seen This?

That is, cute as long as I never have to actually face a jumping spider in person because these spiders could probably take over the world if they really wanted. Known for eating other spiders, jumping spiders have the ability to leap up to 50 times the length of their own bodies and prey on creatures three times their own size, according to the video.

Yep, that sounds pretty terrifying, but you'll still probably enjoy watching Portia demonstrate her species' speedy jumping abilities. And then keep watching the video to learn more about her other powers that make her a genius among arachnids.

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Have You Seen This?
Mary Dalrymple

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