Watch a "Trained" Spider Named Kim Leap Six Times Its Body Length

Jumping spiders are cold-blooded assassins, masters of disguise, and just maybe a little quicker on the uptake than we're really OK with. For a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from the University of Manchester "trained" one special jumping spider named Kim to leap in their experiment, all with the goal of demystifying the mechanics behind jumping spiders' abilities.

Kim was one of four regal jumping spiders (Phiddipus regius) the researchers brought into the lab for a close examination of how their bodies move as they leap and land. A jumping spider can clear up to six times its body length, which ranges from 0.04 to 0.98 inches—about the equivalent of a three-story building, relative to the spider's body size. For comparison, the farthest a human can jump is roughly 1.5 body lengths.

The researchers created an experiment chamber with platforms at varying distances from one another, then tried to coax the spiders into it. Only Kim would even enter. The researchers moved Kim between the take-off and landing platforms until she "became familiar with the challenge," they write. No tasty bait or stimulation (like blowing air) was used to motivate her. Still, her eventual familiarity with the task potentially implies some sort of learning. So even though she wasn't following orders, she figured out how to navigate the experiment's challenges—an impressive achievement for a spider about the size of an aspirin.

Using ultra-high-speed and high-resolution cameras, the researchers then filmed Kim's jumps to study how the arachnid moved her body when navigating a short jump equal to two body lengths; a longer jump equal to six lengths; and jumps between platforms placed at different heights. They found that Kim cleared shorter distances quickly and at low angles, thus sharpening her accuracy and boosting her chances of catching any prey that might be waiting at her destination. For longer jumps, she was more conservative with her energy, but her accuracy suffered.

Jumping spiders are excellent hunters, thanks in part to their precision ambushing skills. They also boast super-powered senses that help them locate their next meal before making their attack. Fine hairs on their legs allow them to "hear" subtle vibrations, and their eight eyes are sharp enough to track laser pointer lights.

This family of spiders also uses a hydraulic pressure system to move their legs. It helps jumping spiders extend their limbs, and some researchers have theorized that it also allows them to jump such great distances. According to the new study, that's not the case: "Our results suggest that whilst Kim can move her legs hydraulically, she does not need the additional power from hydraulics to achieve her extraordinary jumping performance," study co-author Bill Crowther said in a press statement. That means the jumps in the video below are made possible by Kim's muscle power alone.