Baby jumping spiders can hunt prey just like their parents do because they have vision nearly as good. A new study helps explain how animals the size of a bread crumb fit all the complex architecture of adult eyes into a much tinier package.

A study published in the journal Vision Research helps explain how animals the size of a bread crumb fit all the complex architecture of adult eyes into a much tinier package.

«Spiderlings can adopt prey-specific hunting strategies. They can solve problems. They’re clever about navigating their environment,» said Nathan Morehouse, a biologist with the University of Cincinnati. «This suggests their eyes are providing as much high-quality information when they’re small as when they’re large. And that was a puzzle.

«We thought the adults were pressing the limits of what was physically possible with vision. And then you have babies that are a hundredth that size,» Morehouse said. «That makes us wonder how they’re accomplishing all of this?»

John Thomas Gote, a University of Pittsburgh student and the study’s lead author, said vision develops far differently in spiders compared to people.

«For humans, it takes three to five years before babies can reach the visual acuity of adults,» Gote said. «Jumping spiders achieve this as soon as they exit the nest.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Cincinnati. Original written by Michael Miller. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.