Spiders are my favorite animals because they're so unique. There are no other animals that are much like them. And not only are they unique, but there is such variety among them. Shapes, sizes, colors, lifestyles, survival strategies, and attitudes are incredibly diverse among the tens of thousands of spider species – more so than any other species on the planet.
I cannot bring myself to kill a spider. If they are in my house where I am the only human resident, I generally leave them be, let them do as they choose. If I find one of the few “dangerous” species, I will take them outside and release them in the yard. But I rarely find anything other than jumping spiders in my house, and I love them.
Jumping spiders are among my very favorites of all spiders. They’re so perky! With their big eyes and fuzzy little bodies, they’re downright adorable. The way they bend at the waist to look up at me is so cute! And the females have such a variety of beautiful patterns on their abdomens. There are diamond shapes, heart shapes, stripes, cross patterns, rows of spots, occasional splashes of color...it’s like each little girl carries a unique piece of art that is all her own.
Humans are spiders’ most threatening enemies and I, for one, want to do my part, however small, to keep from being part of the problem. A spider’s life is difficult enough without us humans making it harder. We should all treat spiders as our friends. They do so much more for us than many people realize.
Another reason I love spiders is because they help to reduce the population of flying insects. I’d much rather have a quiet little unobtrusive spider hanging out of the way nearby than to be swarmed by those pesky nuisances.
As a programmer, I can’t deny my respect for a spider’s debugging ability. If I could eliminate program bugs as efficiently as a spider eliminates living ones, my life would be significantly easier.
Maybe my love for spiders originated in my childhood, when my mother would buy me books like Charlotte’s Web and Be Nice to Spiders. Reading such stories about spiders being heroes, especially at such an impressionable age, is bound to have an effect.
Besides, everybody needs someone to love them -- even spiders.
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