How smart are spiders?

[gamepad]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I just killed one in my place and left it there on the floor as a warning to all other spiders who would dare invade my domain. Think they'll get it?

LOL, what a great thread!

 

[Jahee]

Originally posted by: dug777
doubt it.

just wait for a black widow to go to town on your nutsack one cold dark winters night tho...

Hahah! :laugh:

 

[funboy6942]

Lets see you spin a web like material out of your ass
In general spiders are pretty smart, they can hunt, they can make some really cool web designs, and one spider was know to make words in her web that saved the life of a pig.

 

[40sTheme]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Shawn
Insects don't think. They just respond to their environment with preset responses.

This is true, unless they are in a horror movie.

I'd disagree, if you've ever seen videos of spiders stalking and ambushing prey. They show an ability to concieve a plan of attack, then adapt it as the circumstances require...sure, i suppose it could all be preset, but when you string a set of preset reponses together, that's what i'd call thinking if you did it, so why not a spider?

I call it procedural programming

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: funboy42
Lets see you spin a web like material out of your ass
In general spiders are pretty smart, they can hunt, they can make some really cool web designs, and one spider was know to make words in her web that saved the life of a pig.

I do some pretty cool web design myself.

 

[RaiderJ]

I read an interesting article on jumping spiders and how their vision works so well (for their size). Apparently they use it to identify different prey, adjusting their attack depending on the target.

Interesting read! But, I also have some tarantulas that I find interesting... so go figure!

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: Zolty
I got a spider on the ceiling to follow a laser pointer once, it was funny.

Hah, that's awesome ...

I'll have to try that out some time!

Until then, my cat goes nuts for the laser pointer.

 

[JohnAn2112]

Yeah, I dunno if Syringer is very smart.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I just killed one in my place and left it there on the floor as a warning to all other spiders who would dare invade my domain. Think they'll get it?

I do believe they will understand. Should have put it's head on a pin, just to underscore your point.

 

[newmachineoverlord]

The number one predator of spiders is not actually Syringer, but rather other spiders. You have therefore left a tasty morsel on the floor to attract other spiders.

Insofar as their intelligence, they might be best thought of as following a simple program with subroutines for automated web design, large animal avoidance, and hunting things smaller than them. Their programming is designed to capture live prey, and they might not recognize critters they didn't kill themselves as edible.

 

[Tom]

don't go to sleep..

 

[NuAlphaMan]

Originally posted by: ThePresence
I just killed one in my place and left it there on the floor as a warning to all other spiders who would dare invade my domain. Think they'll get it?

:roll: :laugh:

 

[uberman]

Spiders have eight legs. Octopuses have eight legs or tentacles. The octopus is the most intelligent of the invertebrates. There you go!

 

[Journer]

i highly doubt that will show the other spiders your demands. if anything i would think it would attract them. if i remember correctly from a doc i watched years ago, wheen bees sting you their ass rips off and they die, but it release is a chemical that attracts more bees. i would think other insects would be the same. they might thin ka little bit but i doubt it is on a level to recognise what you are trying to do. if you really wana send them a message, get an exterminator or insect bombs up in your palce...send them back to hell with a vengence.

as far as snakes...i beleive they are much smarter than insects and think on a higher level, i dont know how much more, but based off of some docs ive seen, info ive read, and studying my own snake(ball pyhon), they are smart for what they are...but i suppose if u look at all aspects they are pretty stupid...