Spider vision Hogna wolf spider (family Lycosidae) showing the enlarged posterior median eyes typical of the family The eyes of spiders vary significantly in their structure, arrangement, and function. They usually have eight, each being a simple eye with a single lens rather than multiple units as in the compound eyes of insects. See the world through a jumping spider's eyes - and other senses How these spiders see, listen and taste differs greatly from how we sense the environment Jumping spiders have an exceptional way of sensing the world.
These eyes provide a clear, focussed telephoto image, probably in colour. The spider can track moving prey both by body movements and by using muscles to internally swivel the elongated eye capsules so that the light sensitive retina of each eye remains locked on the prey. For instance, jumping spiders have large principal eyes that provide acute vision and color perception, enabling active hunting.
Secondary eyes are adapted for detecting motion and changes in light intensity, often with a wide field of view. They act as an early warning system, alerting the spider to approaching predators or prey. The Habronattus sunglow (male pictured above) is a species of jumping spider that has trichromatic or "true" color vision.
Daniel Zurek Jumping spiders see in high. If a spider's eight eyes don't impress you, consider this: Some of them can even see in "true" color. Scientists have studied the vision in a group of brightly.
While a spider's primary eyes have limited color vision, most spiders can't see color with their secondary eyes. It can be difficult for a spider to distinguish between certain colors, but that doesn't mean it sees the world in black and white. To better understand how vision evolves, a group of biologists led by Nate Morehouse of the University of Cincinnati have turned to jumping spiders ("salticids"), and in particular how they see colour.
Jumping spiders have exquisite eyesight. Spider color vision is based on the detection of polarized light rather than different wavelengths of light. This means that spiders can see colors that are invisible to humans, and that they use their color vision in different ways.
Spider eyes are different from insect eyes; they are not compound but simple. There is one lens for each eye, made of a thin layer of the cuticle. Below that is the retina, the actual light.