Although it may seem like you instinctively want to smash a spider, scientists believe the spider might just be dreaming.
German researchers have discovered that jumping spiders can, when they are asleep, enter a REM cycle. This is the same type of deep, dream-like, fast eye movement as humans and it’s similar to what we experience in our dreams.
“They have little bursts of activity throughout the night that reoccur pretty regularly, and the durations are also very regular,” behavioral ecologist Daniela Roessler, the report’s author, CBS News.
Jumping spiders were observed while taking 8-legged naps with night vision cameras, but unfortunately that doesn’t let us know what they were dreaming about.
“So, I personally do think that they’re experiencing visual dreams, but it will be very difficult to prove that scientifically,” Roessler said.
Jamie Mitchell, the senior invertebrate keeper at the London Zoo had an idea about what arthropods might be dreaming while they sleep.
“I would imagine they’re going to be dreaming about flies, probably,” Mitchell said.