“How can a spider jump so high?” a student asked me, looking up from her now spider-less workbook and scanning her nearby surroundings, trying to locate where the tiny creature had disappeared.
It was a fair question, especially considering the size of the spider: no more than half an inch long.
With about 15 middle school girls in tow, most of whom were captivated by the dabbling ducks along the shore of Lake Julian, I found it remarkable that this student and her fellow artist had become equally fascinated by the tiny spider that had hopped onto their workbook.
“That’s a great question,” I responded, encouraging her to write it down so she could look it up later.
As the day went on, though, I found myself wishing I had taken a few minutes to find the answer before she left.
As it turns out, jumping spiders can leap incredible distances because they use a built-in hydraulic system rather than relying solely on leg muscles. By forcing body fluid into their legs, they rapidly extend them like tiny springs. The result? Some jumping spiders can leap up to 50 times their own body length.
While I wish I could have shared that tidbit with the student before the program ended, I realized later that the answer wasn’t really the part of our interaction that stuck with me.
Out of everything we saw that day, the ducks, the lake, the trees, it was a tiny spider that inspired the biggest question.
I was brand new to the Champions for Wildlife team. In fact, my first official day wouldn’t be until the following week, and this was my first time seeing one of our programs in action.
I had spent the previous few weeks interviewing with our Executive Director and team of educators. Their enthusiasm for Champions for Wildlife’s work came through even over Zoom, but I don’t think I fully understood it until that morning at Lake Julian.
Watching this student become captivated by a tiny spider helped something click for me. We weren’t there just to teach students about wildlife, we were also giving them the time and space to notice it.
I eventually looked up the answer I wished I’d had for her in the moment. But, what has stayed with me isn’t the answer, it’s the curiosity that drove the question:
“How can a spider jump so high?”
