Best Spider Moments | Top 5 | BBC Earth

From spiders with superpowers to spiders with 25m webs, we look back at some of our favourite arachnid moments from the BBC Earth Archive.

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Welcome to BBC EARTH! The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. Here you'll find 50 years worth of entertaining and thought-provoking natural history content. Dramatic, rare, and exclusive, nature doesn't get more exciting than this.

[sarahfields]

Trap door spider: "close the door, You're letting the heat out"

[blazingblackness]

"Portia is a Genius." Gets me every single time XD

[dianadallalnctmrcmc]

I had a jumping spider who adopted me in Arkansas. He was about 1.5 inches across with a black and white checkered body with blue turquois eyes - (they weren't really eyes, because he had 8 others, in addition. I put him in the yard, and 2 days later he was back in my living room. They I put him in the back yard, and 2 days later he was back in my living room. So I told him, "you can stay here, just watch out for the cat". So he did, he lived with us for 3 years till I moved. Every once in a while I would say, "I wonder where the spider is?" and he would pop out and show me. Very quiet and well-behaved houseguest! LOL I will never forget him.

[StoriesbyIrish]

The praying mantis just peering through the leaves cracked me up.

"Don't do it, man. She's in a mood!"

[BadassBobY]

Two things I love :

- Porsche Spyder
- Portia Spider

[candicemirisha]

I like how he keeps calling the spider Portia . It adds so much to the narrative

[patrickjohn]

I love how the trap door spider was like “Hey! Put that back down! I need that!”

[lker]

If spiders had dating apps, they would also double as food delivery services.

[cndyclwn]

This actually helped my arachnophobia a bit. Seeing the jumping spider dance was hilarious. It was like watching a cartoon.

[antoniomrivera]

Can we salute the guys who sit here hours... Even weeks on end watching these arachnids and insects in their natural habitat just so we can get 20 minutes of spectacular footage

[jamielthashepherd]

Imagine sitting in your house and a giant opens your front door shining a bright ass light. “Dude! A little privacy?”

[TheCthultist]

Gotta say, the little sound effects all throughout throughout Portia’s segment really added a LOT to make her seem even cooler than jumping spiders already are.

[TheTibetyak]

The various sound effects used with Portia were hilarious and so ingeniously placed. Kudos to the sound engineer.

[J_LorraineK]

I've always thought that jumping spiders were smarter than the others. They just are so AWARE.

[Mary.On.A.Cross.]

Portia was in full on Mission Impossible mode, closing in on her soon to be tasty meal. Absolutely love those little jumping spiders. I bought one to help me get over what used to be a debilitating arachnophobia, named her Lucille. After helping me get over that problem, I felt really bad about her being an only child and ended up getting her another jumping spider friend named Camille. They're adorably sweet little spideys! ❤❤❤

[mensrea]

@4:39 I won’t lie, if I saw bodies along the only stairwell to my crush’s room, I’d be having second thoughts.

[harmanx.]

The sound engineer's inventions are fun -- given that spiders make no actual sounds. I particularly like the fishing reel noise when the spider is lowering itself by releasing a strand of web.

[ctakitimu]

We have 2 types of jumping spider in our garden and they really do have amazing eyesight. You can make movement 90 degrees to their front, and they always spin round to look at what made the movement. Then they'll either come and investigate, or they run off a short distance, then spin around to see where you are now or if you are still where they left you. 1 type of spider is small and has little compact legs, and the other type has longer legs except for their front legs which are extra long. I later found out that only the males have the longer front legs as they use them to do a dance and tap out a rhythm to entice a female to mate. I used to be heavily arachnophobic, but little guys like these with little attitudes have dulled the fear a bit. If a large spider is on me though, a spontaneous slap dance might still occur. Accompanied by little girl screams from a 50 year old man

[matrixdukenukem]

No anchor point to attack from above.
Portia: *Plays deadly bethoven*

[watintarnation]

Jumping spiders are insanely intelligent. Probably overshadowed by bees and ants just because people usually associate intelligence with social life.