Dimorphic Jumping Spider - Maevia inclemens
Family Salticidae - Jumping Spiders
Live adult male jumping spider photographed in the wild at Warrenville, Illinois, USA.
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Jumping spiders are distinguished from other spiders by their four big eyes on the face and four smaller eyes on top of the head. Around the world there are probably more than 5000 species of jumping spiders. Jumping spiders are charming lil buggers that look up and watch you.  Although a jumping spider can jump more than fifty times its body length, none of its legs has enlarged muscles. The power for jumping comes from a quick contraction of muscles in the front part of the body increasing the blood pressure, which causes the legs to extend rapidly much as the hydraulics in a low-rider car.

Salticids are perhaps as old and diverse as mammals, though not many humans know of their world. Many salticids are colorful, they take on a variety of body forms, and some have disguises, looking like ants and other organisms.
Dimorphic Jumping Spider - Maevia inclemens
This very active male jumping spider was out hunting on November 1st, near Chicago. He is about 1/8 inch long.
References
  1. Bugguide.net, Maevia inclemens (Dimorphic Jumper)
  2. Wikipedia, "Pedipalp"
  3. Thomas Eisner, Maria Eisner, and Melody Siegler, "Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures" (Belknap Press, 2005)
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Class Arachnida / Order Araneae: Spiders are the largest group of arachnids.  They are easily recognized by their eight legs, and there are few creatures great or small that elicit such irrational fear in mankind. The vast majority of spiders are completely harmless and offer beneficial services, chief of which is keeping the burgeoning insect population in check. I am continually amazed at the resourcefulness of these supremely successful predators.
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