BugAttraction | Genifer, the Adorable Trained Jumping Spider gives High Five @Bugattraction | Uploaded December 2017 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
Genifer is my first trained spider, and perhaps the first ever. She is a smart and friendly Phidippus Regius aka Regal Jumping Spider. She is as different from other spiders as we are from other mammals.
She was domestically bred and raised from a tiny sling with near daily interaction. She never developed her natural predatory fear or defensiveness. I was always just a part of her everyday life.
Now by trained, I don’t mean fetching the paper or performing tricks. It’s much more like learning to play ball with your dog. We both alter our instincts to engage in a mutually beneficial ‘game’ of sorts.
After a lifetime of arachnophobia, I discovered this unique species with cognition that rivals many vertebrates. They can be very cat-like, and have amazing sensory perception. I found nearly all of them could be tamed, or calmed to the point of no longer running and hiding.
But Genifer was the first among several since to ‘get the game’ so to speak. She would come to me when prompted, and accepted subtle direction. I could guide her to respond predictably and consistently. She would let me know her interests and I would feed her curiosity.
There have been others since, like Rebecca, a Phidippus Audax Jumping Spider as you can see in my other videos. But Genifer remains the smartest and most intuitive spider I’ve encountered so far. She taught me how to interact with all of the others.
All original content - For Educational Purposes.
Copyright:
Kyle Burdash aka
Bug Attraction
The Phidippus Project
Genifer is my first trained spider, and perhaps the first ever. She is a smart and friendly Phidippus Regius aka Regal Jumping Spider. She is as different from other spiders as we are from other mammals.
She was domestically bred and raised from a tiny sling with near daily interaction. She never developed her natural predatory fear or defensiveness. I was always just a part of her everyday life.
Now by trained, I don’t mean fetching the paper or performing tricks. It’s much more like learning to play ball with your dog. We both alter our instincts to engage in a mutually beneficial ‘game’ of sorts.
After a lifetime of arachnophobia, I discovered this unique species with cognition that rivals many vertebrates. They can be very cat-like, and have amazing sensory perception. I found nearly all of them could be tamed, or calmed to the point of no longer running and hiding.
But Genifer was the first among several since to ‘get the game’ so to speak. She would come to me when prompted, and accepted subtle direction. I could guide her to respond predictably and consistently. She would let me know her interests and I would feed her curiosity.
There have been others since, like Rebecca, a Phidippus Audax Jumping Spider as you can see in my other videos. But Genifer remains the smartest and most intuitive spider I’ve encountered so far. She taught me how to interact with all of the others.
All original content - For Educational Purposes.
Copyright:
Kyle Burdash aka
Bug Attraction
The Phidippus Project
