LET'S ADDRESS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (or in our case, the spider in the deck)

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You may have noticed by now that our Curiosity card features a little jumping spider gazing at a gleaming dewdrop that clings to a beautiful flower (if you missed it, you'll find it in 'The Cards' section above). We know some people are afraid of or are creeped out by spiders, but we wanted to make this card as approachable as possible...so much so that this topic was worthy of its own section on this page. 🥹

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We absolutely love spiders in general (seriously, we do), but we have a soft spot for jumping spiders, especially. Dare we say that they are some of the cutest arachnids ever?! They're essentially the teddy bear of the spider world! They have big, forward-facing puppy dog eyes, expressive body language, and small, fluffy bodies. The most important thing, though, is that they are known for being curious, which is why we chose the humble jumping spider for the Curiosity card. 

Now, some of you might be thinking, 'Gahhh! No way!' but hear us out. Here are seven cool facts we found about Jumping Spiders:

• In general, spiders are critically important to the Earth’s ecosystem because they keep the insect population under control. Jumping spiders comprise 13% of all spider species on the planet. They are the largest family of spiders found almost everywhere, with the exception of extreme polar regions.

• Jumping spiders are usually little (often 0.5 inches or less in length), often fuzzy, and distinguishable by their distinct eye pattern in which the large middle pair sits close together at the front of the face. 

• They're excellent hunters! According to Joe Hanson, Ph. D., "Most spiders build webs and wait for their food to come to them, but jumping spiders stalk and hunt and pounce on their prey like eight-legged cats."…Call us crazy, but we think that is pretty cute! Interested in learning more? Click here for another great video where Joe Hanson talks about the science of jumping spider vision.

• The spiders, despite their tiny size, can leap up to 6.3 inches (160 mm), according to a 2018 paper in the journal Scientific Reports. They will spin a quick line of silk that they use as a dragline; the tension in the silk allows the spiders to adjust their body for a smooth landing (Nabawy, Mostafa R.A., et al. “Energy and Time Optimal Trajectories in Exploratory Jumps of the Spider Phidippus Regius.” Sci Rep, vol. 8, 2018, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25227-9)

• They tend to jump only when on the hunt or when startled.

• According to the Menunkatuck Audubon Society, 'Jumping spiders are active during the day, loving bright sunny spots. Look for them hanging out on flower heads, along outside deck railings and inside window¬sills as they hunt for small insects.'

• And the most adorable fact we found?…research published in the journal Royal Society Biology Letters found jumping spiders often fixate on people and love watching them. "Whereas many spiders, like black widows or the brown recluse, tend to avoid people, jumping spiders often seem quite fearless," says researcher Elizabeth Jakob, PhD. "If a spider turns to look at you, it is almost certainly a jumping spider."