‘Web puppies’: how these tiny jumping spiders became a social media sensation

Name: Web puppies.

Age: Pet jumping spiders typically live for one to three years.

Jumping spiders? Yikes! I thought we were talking about puppies? They’re called that because they’re cute. They are also known as spooders and spoods.

OK, but they’ve still got eight legs. Eight eyes, too, as it happens.

And, judging by the name, they can jump. Actually, there are more than 6,000 species of jumping spiders (from the family Salticidae) in the world. Relax, though, they’re not big.

We’re not talking Aragog, the giant spider from Harry Potter, then? No, they can easily fit on your fingernail. Guess where they are big, though?

I’m hoping it’s not in my bed. Nope. On the internet.

I suppose the web would be where you’d find spiders. Yes, they’re a craze, with videos of tiny pet jumping spiders popping up on social media.

Doing what? Well, in one TikTok with more than 2m views, a spider called Violet appears to hug a little clay human figure before retiring to its little pink cottage.

I suppose that is kind of sweet. Violet sadly died earlier this year, but her owner, a 33-year-old South Carolina woman, has other pet spiders including Tinkerbell and Pebbles, both with strong online presences.

So you can buy these things? Creatures, please. Yes, the New York Times spoke to Lauren Taylor, a graphic designer who has about 2,000 in her Nevada house, including a playful one-year-old canopy jumping spider named Harry. Lauren breeds them and charges from $60 to $100 (£45-£75) for one, depending on the breed.

That’s cheaper than an actual puppy. And double the legs.

But can you create that bond? “You would never think it’s possible until you do it,” says Lauren. Also, meet Opal …

Who’s that? She’s another TikTok star, who went viral in 2021 after she was filmed “tucking in” her babies to their silken egg sack, with the caption: “Gotta protek dem.”

Yuck (and not because I’m scared of spiders). You’re not alone: not everyone approves of this arachnophilic anthropomorphism for clicks. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is one example.

What does Peta say? That it’s a “cruel social media fad” and “these complex, sensitive animals belong in their natural habitats – not in a glass prison”. And last year, after a couple of pet retail chains began selling jumping spiders in the US, more than 2,000 people signed a petition demanding they stop.

Wasn’t it Peta who, in a campaign to try to stop people eating them, once referred to fish as “sea kittens”? Very true. Which some might say disqualifies them from being taken seriously about anything, ever.

Do say: “Daddy, get me a web puppy! Now!”

Don’t say: “Where is she? She was right here a second ago … Tinkerbell!”