Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, and the two principal eyes can be moved to be directed at a visual stimulus. We have a specialized spider eyetracker that enables us to present videos and images to spiders and then see exactly where they look. We use the eyetracker to answer a wide variety of questions, from how spiders investigate potential prey and mates to whether they can assess the number of objects. We haven’t decided exactly which question you will be addressing next semester, but one possibility is to begin to understand more about the function of the strange boomerang shape of spider retinas.
SUMMARY:
Use a specialized eyetracker to measure the gaze direction of jumping spiders.
APPLICATION ESSAY:
Why are you interested in this project? What are your career goals?
Please describe any activities that you participate in that require patience and good hand-eye coordination (see skills below).
Name of research group, project, or lab
Jakob Spider Lab
Why participate in this opportunity?
This opportunity gives you hands-on experience in animal behavior. It is ideal for students interested in graduate school in behavior, ecology, or evolution.
