ELI5
There was a couple of instances where a spider stopped in his track as soon as he notices me while an ant acts like I’m nothing else than an obstacle that can be climbed on.
Also, the bigger the spider is, the more cautious seems to be around people.
Is this a sign of various degrees of intelligence on insects or is it their natural predator nature that makes spiders to be more aware of their surroundings?
I’ve seen spiders stand still when I’m looking at them and start moving once my back is turned. I imagine they can see my eyes and recognise what they are for.
In: Biology
First, a quick note that spiders are not insects. The lines that spawned the two groups diverged hundreds of millions of years ago before they even left the sea.
Now, the question. Spiders are individuals while ants aren’t. Each ant is a single part of a larger organism, the same way one of your cells is part of your body. It’s disposable and it acts like it. Even if it gets killed by something, another genetically identical ant will replace it and keep supporting the colony. Spiders are solitary animals. If that spider dies, that’s it for its genetic lineage. There will never be another one exactly like it and it wants to keep living for as long as possible to preserve it.
You’ll find that beetles and cockroaches will tend to run and hide when in your presence as well. Once again, they’re individuals, just like your spider, so they’ll want to stay away from the potential threat.
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