Jumping spiders have almost 360 degree vision

Researchers have discovered that eight-eyed jumping spiders have a near 360 degree view, according to a new study at the University of Massachusetts.

The study, which looked at how each of the eight eyes work, also found that these spiders can be captivated by humans and certain nature videos.

Colleagues at the university showed the jumping spiders videos and conducted other tests to help understand how their vision system works. The results have been published in the Royal Society Biology Letters.

When the spiders were shown videos of moving crickets, they would attack the image. Co-author Professor Elizabeth Jakob said you "can hear the click of their fangs on the screen".

Some species of spider only have one pair of eyes, but these have four pairs. One of the pairs faces forward but can scan almost all around, the other three pairs - known as secondary eyes - are situated from the front to the way to the rear of the spider, and are particularly good at detecting motion.

"If a spider turns to look at you, it is almost certainly a jumping spider," Professor Jakob said.

"When you look at a jumping spider, and when it looks back at you, you will notice the very large principal eyes in front," she said. "These have a very unusual structure. They have a large, fixed lens and a tiny boomerang-shaped retina that provides high resolution images and sees in both colour and UV."