Over the weekend I found this small jumping spider crawling along a deciduous forest floor. It was flashing its front legs up and down like arms.
It was some sort of display. A mating ritual? Another spider never appeared but it kept walking up this downed branch as if it was its little lek area.
Here are the legs raised a little closer up :)
I'm hoping to figure out this little guy's species.
Thanks for stopping by!
@tipu curate
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He's adorable! Mostly, this leg waving thing is a mating ritual in jumping spiders, but it could also be to ward off other males and, in the case of ant-mimicking species, it's to make it look as if the legs are antennae (which is a whole bunch of awesomeness). In this little guy's case, I think there may have been a female nearby that was hiding from you but the male could see her.