His dark eyes dance back and forth, emitting innocence and curiosity. Lucas waves tentatively, and all eight of his legs do a nervous jiggle. Yes, all eight.

 That’s because Lucas is an animated jumping spider on YouTube. His adorable antics have stolen the hearts of millions, including mine. 

In an interview with The Dodo, creator Jason Slice said, “I want people who are afraid of spiders to say ‘aww’.” 

Slice’s most popular Lucas the Spider video has over 420,000 likes, showing his efforts have been able to gain traction on the Internet. Additionally, his cute spider animations have popularized the hobby of spider-keeping. What was previously a niche interest has been calling to more and more people. Now, one can easily find husbandry videos on jumping spiders and tarantulas all throughout the web. 

“I’ve always loved exotic creatures,” said freshman Jolin Chang. “My friend [and I] decided to get spiders together since we already did previous research on them.”

Chang and her friend decided on getting Chilean Rose-hair Tarantulas. She aptly named her tarantula “Peter Parker”, after Spider Man’s alter ego. The Chilean Rose-Hair is one of the most commonly kept species of spider. The extremely docile arachnids can be recognized by the dense layer of reddish hair that covers the entirety of their bodies. The species even had its moment of fame in Home Alone, in which a medium-sized tarantula is used to scare away a house robber. 

Although Peter Parker passed away a short while ago, I had the honor of meeting and holding him several years ago. He crawled lazily along with my hands before I handed him back to Chang. Though I have never been afraid of spiders, any mild discomfort around large arachnids dissolved once I got to hold one. If you’re thinking, “Absolutely not! I wouldn’t even get 10 feet from a spider!” your thinking may just be the slightest bit misdirected.

“I’m actually scared of spiders,” said Chang. “Tarantulas are my exception since I know they are slower and friendlier.”

Her advocacy for spiders may seem unusual but, really, our arachnid friends do more good than bad. Spiders are responsible for consuming plenty of insects that would otherwise be destructive to crops or harmful to humans. 

The mosquito, for example, is actually one of the deadliest animals to humankind. As they suck blood from humans, they transfer diseases such as West Nile, Zika, and malaria from person to person. Mosquitos should be the bugs we fear, not spiders.

Spiders make great beginner pets as well. Unlike the elaborate care that comes with owning a mammal or reptile, most spiders don’t need much to keep them happy. For those with little available space, spiders can fit cozily into a small enclosure. They eat live insects once every two weeks, making their care relatively inexpensive.

Next time you see a spider, instead of screaming, view it as a feat of nature, not a monster.

Photographic Courtesy of WIKIMEDIACOMMONS.COM