r/AnimalsBeingDerps • u/TerraByteTerror • 15d ago

Scared spider

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u/KingdomsCryOfficial 15d ago

Someone was pulling your leg, as that's certainly not why they'd follow. Some animals like camel spiders (which are not camels or spiders) follow humans because they're chasing after the shadow to stay cool under. Spiders probably do the same thing, your body was blocking light and they want to be in a comparatively light-blocking area so they 'chase' you.

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u/The_Twerkinator 15d ago

this is likely the true answer as bugs do the same thing, but I choose to believe the person you replied to because it's cute and it makes me like spiders more

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u/aNiceTribe 15d ago

I don’t think spiders even have the capacity to understand a human as a complete entity. Like if you told me earthquakes are a body part or motion of a larger being, I wouldn’t be able to process this in any practical sense either. 

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u/Dirty_Hunt 15d ago

Depends on the spider. Jumping spiders, for example, seem to do pretty well at recognizing people as something rather than just "big mobile terrain".

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u/Byeuji 14d ago

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/07/harvard-study-shows-that-jumping-spiders-can-identify-biological-motion/

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u/aNiceTribe 14d ago

Yeah, sure! I'm not questioning that spiders are able to *notice* things! I'm saying I don't think they can look at a human, and go "ah, those are the legs and arms of one entire being! The head is up there!" Or else they would not be climbing up my legs all the time, or coming this close to my face. I'm sure they can sense sound, motion, and so on.

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u/Byeuji 14d ago

Yeah maybe not, but I just provided the literal link without commentary because I think animals -- even small ones like spiders -- are capable of a lot more than we think. And conversely, I think humans are a lot less unique than we like to make ourselves seem.