Caught in mid...

Jumping spiders got their name because they really do "jump." With several hundred species found in the continental United States and Canada alone, they are the Spider of the Week. Chances are you will spot one and maybe even collect one too.

As their name implies, jumping spiders are master leapers. They can launch themselves -- through the air -- distances many times their body length. The family name, Salticidae, is based on the Latin root salto, to jump. Visual hunters, jumping spiders use their huge anterior eyes to locate and capture prey. Before jumping, the spider tethers itself with a silk thread, in case it misses its mark. If the spider falls off an edge following a jump, its safety line provides easy access back to its jumping point.

How many species? Approximately 5,000 In your backyard? Nearly 300 species in the United States and Canada Around the world? Found on every continent, except Antarctica; most abundant in tropics

The four, large...