I never liked spiders. They're hairy and creepy with their overly long legs, and make sticky nets that feel horrible when touched.

Then came the jumping spiders. In Austria there is one cute little fellow that looks like a cross between zebras, crabs and fleas. Watching them for a while, I couldn't but begin to love them, so I researched them on the internet. Turned out that these critters are the only spiders that seem to show interest in their surroundings in an explorative way.
Other spiders first run and then ask questions (if at all) when they see something potentially dangerous. Jumpers, however, turn to look straight at what just entered their little world, and engage with it. I've seen them run around my finger that I put down next to them in half circles, as if they were trying to find out where this weird stick came from.

However, to show is better than tell, so here we go:



Hope I could share some great macro photographs on dA, and probably even change some people's minds on spiders.