Have you ever noticed a spider scurrying in your direction, causing you to jump in fright? You’re not alone. Many people are puzzled and unnerved when spiders exhibit this behavior of rapidly approaching humans. But is it actually true that spiders run at people, and if so, why do they do it?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Spiders don’t actually run at people intentionally. Their movement toward humans is often coincidental or an attempt to escape a perceived threat. Keep reading to learn the details behind spiders’ tendency to sprint in our direction.
Spiders Don’t Target Humans
Spiders are not attracted to humans
Many people mistakenly believe that spiders actively target and seek out humans as prey. However, this is simply not true. Spiders do not view humans as food sources or purposefully hunt them down. In fact, spiders tend to avoid humans as much as possible.
Spiders are small invertebrates that prey primarily on other insects and small animals such as flies, mosquitoes, crickets, caterpillars and grasshoppers. Humans are much too large for a spider to successfully catch and consume.
Additionally, spider venom has evolved to subdue smaller prey, not large animals like people.
Most spiders prefer to build webs or hide in dark crevices away from human foot traffic. They bite humans only in self-defense when threatened or accidentally squeezed against the skin. According to entomologists, less than 10% of people bitten by a brown recluse spider (one of the more toxic spiders in North America) have a significant reaction.
Spiders lack capacity for premeditation
Spiders act purely on instinct and lack the brain complexity for strategic thought or premeditated behavior. Their tiny brains allow for basic stimulus-response actions – such as web building, courtship signals and prey attack reflexes – but not deliberate planning or persistently hunting specific prey.
Research by neuroscientists have shown that spider brains contain only a few hundred thousand neurons. For comparison, the average human brain has over 85 billion neurons. So spiders do not have the neural networks required for cognition or thought processes like target selection.
Furthermore, spiders have rudimentary eyes and can usually only see a few inches in front of themselves clearly. Their senses are geared towards detecting vibrations in nearby webs or pheromones rather than visually locking onto targets.
Therefore, the notion that a spider spots a human from across a room and knowingly comes after them is not realistic.
Why Spiders Often Run Toward People
Spiders exhibit some strange behaviors that may seem alarming when they suddenly rush in our direction. There are a few possible explanations behind this phenomenon based on their biology and instinctive actions.
Attempt to Flee Danger
When spiders sense movements or vibrations from approaching humans, they often perceive it as a threat. Their instinct is to hurriedly run away and find safety. With poor eyesight, spiders may accidentally dart across the ground in our path as they are focused on escaping what they interpret as an impending danger.
Random Movement Patterns
Much of a spider’s movement seems aimless and random to human eyes. They quickly explore new environments by traversing terrain with speedy bursts of movement. Some experts theorize this may maximize their chance of finding prey. So their rushing could simply be rapidly scouring for food sources.
Vibrations Mimicking Prey
Spiders are incredibly sensitive to vibrations through sensations in their legs. Approaching footsteps and other noises caused by humans likely mimic the vibrations of insect prey in some cases. This triggers their predatory response to chase after the source of these sounds, expecting to discover a meal rather than a person.
While an oncoming spider may briefly startle us, remembering they are simply behaving according to their anatomy and instincts can help explain why we may witness arachnids suddenly running across our path despite their small size and poor vision capabilities.
Evolutionary Explanations
Predator avoidance behavior
Spiders exhibit predator avoidance behaviors that have evolved over time to help them survive. When spiders sense potential threats, they engage in startle responses like sudden movements to avoid attack.
According to research from the Journal of Experimental Biology, spiders have specialized neurons and mechanisms that allow them to detect and respond to air puffs or approaching stimuli.
Rapid escape behaviors help spiders get away from threats quickly. For example, some spiders rely on fast reaction times – they can detect an approaching threat and move away within just 50-100 milliseconds. Jumping spiders, which hunt by stalking their prey, are especially adept at this.
If something startles them, they can instantly turn and leap away to safety.
Interestingly, recent studies show that spiders may also avoid threats proactively through careful web placement. Spiders that build webs near moth-attracting street lights tend to orient their webs with the anchor points facing away from the light.
This allows the spider to detect incoming threats from moths and retreat away from danger through the back of the web. Such purposeful web orientation suggests advanced threat perception and avoidance skills.
Startle response
When humans walk towards a spider, it often elicits a “startle response” – the spider may instantly dart away or rush towards the person. This knee-jerk reaction helps spiders react to potential predators before they have time to consciously assess the threat.
Neuroscience research indicates that spiders have a specialized fast-acting neural circuit dedicated to escape behaviors.
According to a study published in Current Biology, this neural circuit allows spiders to respond to threats in a rapid, reflex-like manner within 119 milliseconds on average. It is activated by sudden air puffs or approaching objects, triggering an immediate reaction without higher-level processing.
So when you walk towards a spider, its startle response kicks in instantly, long before it realizes you may not be a predator.
The startle response varies between spiders species. Jumping spiders are more likely to move towards stimuli out of curiosity or to gain a better view of the potential threat. Meanwhile, web-building spiders like orb weavers use sudden movements to shake or confuse predators momentarily while the spider retreats away through the web.
So next time a spider darts towards you, remember it may just be its automatic startle response!
Tips for Understanding Spider Behavior
Remain calm when spiders run
Seeing a spider scurrying across the floor can be startling, but try to remain calm. Spiders naturally flee from humans and are not looking for conflict. Take a deep breath and remember that the spider is likely more afraid of you than you are of it!
Learn to identify common household spiders
Most spiders found in homes are harmless to humans. Learning to identify a few common species can help ease your mind. The daddy longlegs spider has a rounded body and extremely long, thin legs. Cellar spiders have elongated bodies and are typically found in dark corners of basements and ceilings.
Jumping spiders are compact and hairy, with a distinct ability to leap. Orbial or weaving spiders spin beautiful spiral webs outside. Familiarizing yourself with local friendly spiders reduces unnecessary fear.
Implement humane spider removal
If you want to remove a spider from your home, do so humanely. Simply capture the spider in a cup and release it outside. Spiders are an important part of the ecosystem and eat pest insects like mosquitoes. There’s no need to kill them!
You can also make your home less inviting to spiders by fixing crevices, turning off exterior lights at night, and cleaning up clutter.
Here are some tips for spider prevention from www.spiders.com:
- Remove spider webs frequently – this eliminates their habitat
- Keep the humidity in your home below 50% – drier environments deter spiders
- Seal cracks and crevices where spiders may enter
- Store boxes off the ground and shake out items that have been in storage
With some understanding of spider behavior and humane removal tactics, you can coexist peacefully with these fascinating creatures!
Conclusion
While an approaching spider can give anyone a fright, rest assured these creatures do not target or intend to harm humans. Their movement in our direction is simply coincidental or an instinctive reaction to perceived danger.
By learning about spiders’ behavior patterns and implementing gentle removal tactics, we can coexist safely with these fascinating creatures.