Most of the world’s smartest animals have a backbone. Dolphins, crows, chimpanzees, and elephants have all shown remarkable intelligence, i.e. the ability to form complex social bonds, use tools, develop language, solve intricate problems, and more. However, before we go handing out any “smartest animal” prizes, there are a few invertebrates that would like a word. Notably, the octopus is among the most intelligent creatures on the planet. But if we’re talking pound for pound IQ, you may not find a sharper creature on Earth than the teeny, tiny jumping spider. Coin-sized jumping spiders possess remarkable intelligence There are hundreds of different kinds of jumping spiders, and most of them are smaller than a US quarter and can easily fit on a person’s fingertip. Their bodies, while highly evolved and specialized, are powered by a brain the size of a poppy seed. Their microscopic brain has about 100,000 neurons—compared to about 250 million in a standard house cat—making their nervous system incredibly simple. And yet, jumping spiders are finally getting their due for just how stunningly smart they can be. Filmmaker and science communicator Stephanie Sammann recently published a YouTube video all about these brilliant little creatures. In just a few weeks, it’s racked up over a million views. Evidence suggests jumping spiders can dream Sammann describes how jumping spiders have been observed doing “something scientists thought only vertebrates can do.” A recent study observed jumping spiders with infrared cameras. Because of the spiders’ translucent exoskeletons, researchers got a remarkable view of their entire anatomy. While asleep, they observed rapid eye movements and leg twitching in the spiders. These actions are consistent with the REM cycle of sleep. “I assume that they’re dreaming about their own lives, like what happens to them during the day, the same way that we do—some strange visual version of their own experience. That’s pretty profound,” said Paul Shamble, one of the researchers behind the study. Spiders, they’re just like us. Though the scientist can’t say for sure that the spiders are experiencing a REM-like dreamstate, all the evidence seems to suggest their brains are processing information from throughout the day in order to learn and properly store memories. And speaking of memories… Jumping spiders can remember individuals and places they’ve been before Despite a small number of neurons in the brain, jumping spiders have excellent memory. Not only do they recognize other spiders, they remember them. A study from 2025 found marked differences in how jumping spiders behaved around each other based on whether they had met before. This suggests the presence of a powerful long-term memory. Their short-term, working memory is also excellent. Jumping spiders are able to visualize and plan routes, and remember obstacles or prey locations even when they are out of sight. Slow-motion videos even suggest that the spiders are able to calculate where their lightning-fast prey (like flies) will be by the time they complete their jump, so they can appear to snatch them out of thin air. Intelligence makes jumping spiders appealing pets Sammann says that, while much of the research into jumping spiders is new, people have intuited the little arachnids’ intelligence for quite some time. Besides the obvious cute factor, their intelligence and personality are reasons jumping spiders are popular pets. They are naturally curious, which is another side effect of their intelligence. They even like to interact with people or, at the very least, watch them carefully. Jumping spiders, unlike many other kinds of spiders, have superb vision, which also helps make them more curious about their surroundings. In fact, jumping spiders have the best vision of any spider species. Even people who admit to having arachnophobia seem to be enchanted by jumping spiders. They’re also extremely gentle and unlikely to bite. In the rare event that they do, their venom is not dangerous to humans. “I have 3 phidippus regius jumping spiders. … They definitely each have their own personality. … They will come to me and crawl on my hand. They’ll even sit there and be comfortable enough to groom themselves or even take a nap on my hand. I feel like they do have more intelligence than most spiders, and are definitely more aware of their surroundings. They seem ‘interested’ in things. Not just to eat and hunt. They are curious. It’s so cool,” wrote a user on Reddit. @fosterkittenohana The sweetest spider ever! Boo #jumpingspider #pets #cute #wow #fyp ♬ Cherry – Jordan Susanto Jumping spiders don’t possess the kind of advanced and social intelligence of dolphins or humans. But pound for pound, their tiny brains are remarkably advanced. It’s strange to think about a spider having self-awareness and an inner world that he or she dreams about, but it’s the truth! Science is beginning to unearth more and more about these creatures’ smarts. In a way, these clever and adorable invertebrates are doing great PR for all spiders, who are generally peaceful, non-aggressive, and great neighbors. The post Surprisingly smart jumping spiders can dream and recognize friends, despite poppy-seed sized brain appeared first on Upworthy.