The Zebra Jumping Spider, Salticus scenicus, is a small, active predator found across the Northern Hemisphere. This diurnal hunter is easily recognized by its distinctive black and white striped pattern, typically measuring 5 to 9 millimeters in length. It relies on movement and vision to find its meals.
Primary Targets: The Standard Diet
The zebra spider’s diet consists primarily of small, soft-bodied arthropods that they can easily subdue. As active carnivores, they do not rely on a web, limiting prey selection to insects they can actively pursue and overpower. Common targets include dipterans, such as gnats, midges, and small mosquitoes, which are abundant where the spider hunts.
Despite their small size, these spiders are known to tackle prey that is surprisingly large, sometimes two to three times their own body length, such as small moths. They are generalist predators, consuming aphids, fruit flies, and even other small spiders in acts of cannibalism. However, the bulk of their consumption centers on the most readily available small flying insects encountered during daytime hunts.
The Stalk and Pounce: Hunting Mechanics
The zebra spider’s hunting technique is a visually driven strategy relying on exceptional eyesight. The pair of large anterior median eyes provides the acute binocular vision needed for precise depth perception. This allows the spider to accurately judge the distance to its target, which is crucial for its signature attack. The spider first locates and orientates toward a moving object before engaging in a slow, calculated stalk.
Once the spider is within striking range, it launches itself with a powerful, sudden leap. This jump is powered not by muscle contraction alone, but by rapidly increasing the hydraulic pressure of fluid within its body, which extends its fourth pair of legs. Just before the jump, the spider anchors a silk safety line, or dragline, to the surface. This dragline acts as a safety tether and a stabilizing mechanism, helping the spider control its orientation for a successful landing on the prey.
Environmental Factors Shaping the Menu
The specific composition of the zebra spider’s diet is heavily influenced by its immediate surroundings. As a wandering predator, it must hunt what is present in its environment. These spiders are highly adaptable and are found in diverse habitats across the Northern Hemisphere, including on rock faces, tree trunks, fences, and building walls.
In urban settings, where they are often seen near window sills and on exterior walls, their diet frequently includes common house flies and gnats. Conversely, spiders living in garden environments or near vegetation consume a higher proportion of plant pests such as aphids and leafhoppers. This flexibility makes the zebra spider a successful generalist predator in both natural and human-dominated landscapes.