What is it?

By MDC | May 1, 2024
From Xplor: May/June 2024
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  • My eyes are big, but I am small.
  • I usually jump before I crawl.
  • I use a rope to catch my fall.
  • You might spot me on a wall.
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Bold Jumping Spider

Missouri has over 40 kinds of jumping spiders. Most aren’t much bigger than a flake of oatmeal. A huge, central pair of eyes gives a jumper better vision than other animals that small. Jumping spiders don’t weave webs. Instead, they crawl close to prey and then — Sproing! — pounce on top of it. Before leaping, a jumper secures a strand of silk to its launch site. If it falls, it climbs up the silk to safety.

Also In This Issue

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animal-superpower
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Animals have adaptations to help them catch food, avoid being eaten, and survive nature’s unforgiving environments.

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Fireflies in a Field
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Forget what the calendar says. When you see the flicker of a firefly’s fanny, you know summer has arrived.

This Issue's Staff

Artist – Matt Byrde
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Cliff White
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber