A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has identified a set of genes in spiders that play a part in determining whether they are sociable or not.
But a spider’s life isn’t all solo living. Many spiders live in groups, or socialize, with other spiders and even insects.
Some species are more likely to have social interactions, but it's not clear if social behaviors are a sign of sociability.
In one species, mothers protect their offspring from harms. These examples are called sub-social behaviors. The Australian huntsman have been found to share meals.
They suggest that such behaviors are signs that spiders are becoming more social. If they were to try something else, they would fail, so most other species are better off doing what they're already doing.
In order to get along with others of their kind, creatures that socialize have to do all the same things that non social species do. Spiders do not have centralized brains, so this presents a problem for them.
They have nerves that are distributed throughout their bodies.
Studies have shown that the nervous systems of spiders that engage in some level of social behavior are more complex than those that do not.
Social spiders, those that live together in communities and cooperate to raise their young, might help you get more done.
You might be able to get things done faster with the help of non social spiders. Twenty-two spider species have different degrees of sociability, and their genomes were compared.
The scientists discovered evidence of genetic changes compared to other spiders, which allowed the spiders to be more social.
The spiders have to work together could prove to be challenging for the spiders. If they team up to improve their hunting skills, it may also involve them becoming more aggressive.