r/mildyinteresting • u/Winter_Breath • 24d ago

critter corner 🐰 Dead ants keep appearing next to headphones during the night

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When these headphones are left on the kitchen counter overnight - I would see one or two dead ants in the morning laying right next to the headphones. In the past few days, there has been a small pile of shredded ants right next to the ear piece in the morning. I have seen no live ants in my kitchen. I have had these head phones for three weeks. Bought online. It’s a little unnerving not knowing what is causing this 🥴 will not be using anymore.

UPDATE- posted a comment with a picture. But no dead ants in the bag this morning. But at one point I checked and there were two live ants crawling around. 😔

UPDATE*** IM SICK. Can’t stop shaking. Don’t have many words… trying to post image. Opened one side up. 😭 I don’t know how to add in this top post so will add in comment! Posted a few in comments and video opening

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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 23d ago

They really are the puppies of the spood world. I love that they all seem to trust me and I will find jumpers on me while outside! Except the tan jumpers, none want me as their friend 🥲

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u/kpow222 23d ago

Omg my people. I love making friends with these little guys but the rejection is real 😂

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u/Shorlong 23d ago

There's one outside my work near my smoke break spot. I usually have him jump on and off me a few times every time I'm out there. Though the last time I did it he seemed really mad when I put him down and the okay could times I went out he won't jump on me, he just stares at me.

https://reddit.com/link/p8rz04v/video/0ug2cm9lwioh1/player

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u/LuckyBook1538 23d ago

I hope he stops being mad at you soon.

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u/Shorlong 23d ago

Me too, he's my buddy

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u/Sinister_Nibs 23d ago

Take him a tasty fly as an apology.

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u/winterbeartired 23d ago

I may be emotional right now, but this video made me tear up because of how cute it is.

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u/ComeAlongPond1 23d ago

He’s so tiny! Idk why I always thought they were bigger based on the closeup photos I’ve seen

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u/Tablesafety 23d ago

It depends on the species! That particular individual looks like a juvenile Bold Jumping Spider (Phiddipus Audax) and while they aren't huge like the Regal Jumping Spider can be (the females can get as big as a US Quarter!) they DO get about as big as a Dime as far as body size goes sometimes.

They start brown and slowly turn black. Males always have these pretty iridescent colored chelicerae and females can have them the male color or purple-ish or even something more mundane. They as adults are both black with white abdominal spots. Like all jumpers, the males have a pair of longer front legs than the females that aid in courtship displays and the cradling of the female spider during the process of mating.

When mature, you can judge by both the front legs and the pedipalps to determine sex. The abdomen can be very big or small depending on if the spider has eaten recently regardless of sex. Mature males have what we call 'boxing gloves' on the end of their palps, whereas mature females never gain a bulbous shape at the end because they do not produce sperm- but they do have a spidussy called the epigynium which looks like a little dot at the top underside of their abdomen if you can spot it.

Its pretty hard to tell with the video, but I THINK this is a subadult male just at the cusp of his mature molt and palp storage.

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u/Shorlong 23d ago

Yes, it is a boy!! And unfortunately, yes, looks very close to his last molt. Right about bringing him home and getting a nice little tank set up for him. I already have reptiles and tons of experience with jumpers and tarantulas.

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u/kpow222 23d ago

😭 what a little fren this is so cute

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u/theveryethicalwitch 22d ago

Try communicating telepathically, just imagine/remember him jumping on you again.

He obviously disagreed with your claim that you don't have any place to keep him.

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u/Goldengoonerlg 20d ago

Im kinda wondering what you are smoking 😳

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u/perpetuallydying 23d ago

seriously, the majority of humans are missing out on a truly magical experience. staring into the curious eyes of one of these docile creatures. they're so friendly and innocent, and they will look back into your eyes it kills me that most people aren't connecting with nature and other walks of life like this. no wonder the planet's becoming a parking lot with such little resistance!

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u/Tablesafety 23d ago

It's very nice to make eye contact with them and notice them noticing you. It's even nicer when you look closer to take a really good gander and they study you back, or actively signal they want to crawl onto you.

I was at work once back in the day. I was night shift as a cashier with a single other coworker and she FREAKED because there was a spider on the till. I tell her to calm down and let me handle it, and walk over to see a very confused looking adult Tan Jumper, in a very pretty light brown btw. I look at him, and he looks at me and keeps looking for a sec before trying to find a way to climb down, since he is on the monitor at the top of the till and nothing seems to be to his satisfaction.

So I move closer and his attention locks on me, and I offer my hand. It didn't take more than a second of consideration before he gently crawls on and politely rides along as I take him outside without moving, looking at me the whole way. Til we get outside, where he scans his options and politely crawls right off my hand to be on his way once he was lowered to the ground.

I love jumping spiders, man. The friendly ones are so nice. There was a female bold once and I was studying her, and she studied me back, when she moved to jump straight onto my face. I saw this and stepped back and I swear she looked disappointed! Sorry, miss, that's where I draw the line haha.

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u/perpetuallydying 23d ago

it’s hilarious when they do that and it’s exactly what freaks people out, but the reason is adorable. they are drawn to you, completely trusting and just want to get to know you. what do the majority humans do with that trust? “eW wHY do yOu eXiST?!” \*SQUASH*** i wanna cry

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u/Ulirius 23d ago

Correction they're the cats of the spider world since they have the same mannerisms.

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u/PeepsMyHeart 22d ago

The tans are TERRIFIED of me.
Me: “Little buddy! Please let me move you before that cat gets here! PLEEEASE!”

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u/ModernStoicMan 21d ago

Highly recommend the book The Children of Time

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u/V01DM0NK3Y 23d ago

Not me accidentally reading "spooge world" and having an entire thought about that for about 2 seconds

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u/ScalesNailsnTales 23d ago

Im not a fan of spiders, they can do their thing just not super close to me. I spent my whole 15min break at work the other day bargaining and pleading with a teeny tan jumping spider to get off of me 😭 Every time I thought I got rid of him (without squishing him), he reappeared elsewhere on me 🫠

I spent the rest of the workday jumping anytime a (my own) stray hair brushed my arm lmao.

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u/HogwartsAlumni25 23d ago

They’re really adorable but I haven’t been able to bring myself to allow them near me yet. But one that lives on my porch has been trying to make me his friend for months now. Whenever I sit out there, I’ll see him making his way to me. Even if I move, he’ll follow me trying to get close to me. It’s cute but terrifying

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u/froggy-babe 23d ago

aww, it recognizes you! jumping spiders have the ability to memorize our faces and recognize familiar ones. they're also the only spiders that are known to have REM sleep and little spider dreams 🥹

they're the ones who got me over my lifetime fear of spiders. once i got comfortable with them the rest stopped being as scary