Avoid Wearing This Color If You Hate Spiders | IFLScience

Skip to main content

CLOSE

Thank you!

We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested.

Can't find the email?

Please check your spam or junk folder

You can also [email protected] your safe senders list to ensure you never miss a message from us.

CLOSE

IFLScience Home

Avoid Wearing This Color If You Hate Spiders

Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article

49111EmailCountryPlease ChooseAustraliaCanadaUnited KingdomUnited StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFiji IslandsFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern territoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoNorth MacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern IrelandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTajikistanTanzaniaThailandThe Democratic Republic of CongoTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweReady to spark your curiosity? Get our newsletter full of awesome, inspiring, and strange science.You can unsubscribe at any time. View ourprivacy policy and terms below.Please ChooseYesNo

Listen

Cancel and go back

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.

For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy

Ad

• Support Science Journalism

  Become a member

  UPGRADE
• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• 

  SIGN OUT

• 

  MY ACCOUNT

• THE VAULT

• MAGAZINE

• 

  SIGN OUT

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

The male peacock spider (actually multiple species) is a flamboyant critter that seduces mates with an extravagant display and rainbow-colored behind. It is not particularly surprising, then, that color perception is a massive evolutionary advantage. In 2017, biologists confirmed that unlike the vast majority of arachnids, peacock spiders do indeed see in color.

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Now scientists want to know: Does this ability to perceive color extend to their drabbier cousins, the wolf spider? The answer: yes, but only if it is green.

Unlike humans with trichromatic vision, wolf spiders have dichromatic vision. This means that while we can detect red, green, and blue light, these eight-legged creatures can only make out green and ultraviolet light.

George Uetz, a professor of biology at the University of Cincinnati, presented the research with his students at the American Arachnological Society meeting in June. His lab contains 1,200 or so wolf spiders, making it every arachnophobe's worst nightmare but the ideal setting to study spider behavior.

To test wolf spiders' perception of color, the team watched male and female spiders react to a video of a courting spider – a demonstration that usually involves a lot of tapping, bouncing, and twerking. The digitalization of the dance meant the researchers could adjust the color and intensity of both the background and the courting spider.

The female spiders were more forthcoming when there was a high contrast between the courting spider and the background. There was a better response when the video was fixed to monochrome or color, in comparison to the grayscale version. Interestingly, color was also important for the male spiders, the researchers said, who in this scenario are "eavesdroppers" – that is, amateur dancers attempting to learn and mimic the other male spiders' mating rituals.

"What we found is that for female spiders, intensity matters more than color," Uetz, said in a statement. "But for male eavesdroppers, color matters, too. That is the odd finding. We didn't expect that at all."

The ability to make out green as opposed to any other color serves an evolutionary purpose. Mating displays that take place in spring and summer will most likely take place with a green backdrop, and as the researchers found out, spider eyesight appears to change according to the season.

"That makes a lot of sense because when you go out in the early season when the spiders first come out, there are no leaves on the trees so there is broad spectrum light," Uetz explained. "But as the seasons change, leaves come out and everything turns green. Spiders have to be able to see the contrast against a lot of color backgrounds."

Now, here's a video of a wolf spider doing his best to attract a mate.

The Nature Box/YouTube

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDAugust 3, 2018

Written by Rosie McCall

Discuss (0 CommentS)Discuss (0 CommentS)

SHARE

FOLLOW US ONNEWS

link to article

The Longest Underwater Cave System In The World Is A Staggering 524 Kilometers – Longer Than The Grand Canyonplanet earth

The Longest Underwater Cave System In The World Is A Staggering 524 Kilometers – Longer Than The Grand Canyon

Yesterday44

link to article

Where Are The Clearest And Bluest Waters On Earth?planet earth

Where Are The Clearest And Bluest Waters On Earth?

2 days ago

link to article

Did AI Just Identify The World’s Oldest Birds? Meet "DinoTracker", The App Of Ichnology’s DreamsPalaeontology

Did AI Just Identify The World’s Oldest Birds? Meet "DinoTracker", The App Of Ichnology’s Dreams

2 days ago

Multimedia

link to article

Why Do We Need The Dark? Find Out More In Issue 43 Of CURIOUS – Out Now

Why Do We Need The Dark? Find Out More In Issue 43 Of CURIOUS – Out Now

link to article

Deep-Space Toilet, Mega-Stegosaurus, And The Only Venomous Primate

Deep-Space Toilet, Mega-Stegosaurus, And The Only Venomous Primate

link to article

IFLScience We Have Questions: How Can Swimming For 37 Hours Help Tackle Ocean Plastic?

IFLScience We Have Questions: How Can Swimming For 37 Hours Help Tackle Ocean Plastic?