I did some more research, and I think Maia is actually a Platycryptus Californicus or "California flattened jumping spider!" The distinctive leaf-shaped pattern on her back is the giveaway. Despite the name, these do range all the way up to BC. https://inaturalist.ca/taxa/228315-Platycryptus-californicus/browse_photos #spiders #arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

Something really neat I noticed while Maia was hunting is that she seemed to time her movements so that they perfectly coincided with the fly’s movements. My theory is that the fly’s movement would cause her own to blend into the background.

Jumping spiders move in super-fast, short movements; so fast that their limbs seem to teleport from one position to the next, as you can see in this slo-mo I took of another spider. #spiders #arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

I decided to stop recording while Maia hunted, because I (selfishly 😜) wanted to get a better view of the show without being distracted by the camera. Within about 2 or 3 minutes, she had stalked the fly around the terrarium until she was just 3 or 4 body lengths from the fly, and pounced. The fly struggled, but Maia had a firm grip and the fly had no chance. She then retreated behind the bark wall to eat her meal. #spiders #arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

I’d been trying all week to figure out what Maia liked to eat, but she hadn’t touched anything I put in there. Today I captured a couple green flies—I stunned them with a quick visit to the freezer, then clipped their wings to make them a bit easier to catch (she was looking pretty thin and I wasn’t sure yet about her hunting skills). It was clear within seconds of closing the lid that she was *very* interested in this new meal! #spiders #arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

I took this video on Maia’s first day. Before taking this video, I’d been watching her try unsuccessfully to climb the glass, and realized that I hadn’t put enough branches in for her to climb on (jumping spiders like to be up high). I put some more tree stuff in, and recorded this while I waited for her to discover the newly added terrain #spiders #arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

I say “her”—I’m pretty confident she’s a female “platycryptus undatus” or “tan jumping spider.” The name seems to be a bit of a misnomer, since they do come in grey as well. I’m pretty sure she’s a female because from what I’ve read, all the males of this species have orange on their head and she does not. #Spiders #Arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider

Say hello to my new friend, Maia! I found this tiny little jumping spider in my bedroom this week and decided to adopt her 😊. I built her a terrarium using stuff from my yard, and she’s now been living in my office for the past few days. #Spiders #Arachnids #JumpingSpiders #MaiaTheJumpingSpider