Man Forms a Trusting Bond With an Adorable Jumping Spider

Over the course of 14 days, Ben Newell of Worcester Terrariums wanted to form a trusting bond with a tiny, surprisingly adorable jumping spider he named Earl.

Jumping spiders are highly intelligent, but is it possible to create a friendship with one? In just 14 days, I found out…

There were three parts to forming this bond, the first was that Earl would step on Newell’s finger, which was accomplished on day 6. The second was that Earl would accept food from Newell, which happened on day 14. The third was that Earl would hop onto and calmly remain on Newell for a few minutes, which also happened on day 14. Newell said that it was important for Earl to learn to trust him, as he wanted Earl to feel safe and happy throughout his short life.

Spiders may not have the same capacity to feel emotion like mammals but they are intelligent creatures who have the capacity to learn. earl …has come a really long way in trusting me since day one and even though he will live a short life of up to 3 years, this is the start of our friendship and one that will continue for the rest of his life.

via b3ta