A video shared to TikTok on Feb. 17, 2025, suggested spiders could be more sentient than previously thought. An on-screen text read, "Spiders run at you because they sense danger and think you're there to protect them, but in our minds, we're terrified and squish them."
At the time of this writing, the video (archived), shown below, had received more than 1.2 million likes on the social media platform.
The video creator wrote in a caption that the clip was "literally for entertainment purposes," and that the notion that spiders intentionally run toward people for protection is false.
"Spiders do not usually run towards people when they sense danger. This would be like humans running towards something like Godzilla," said spider scientist Sebastian Echeverri.
"Usually, if they sense danger (so, hear a very loud sound, or feel the wind caused by our movement, or see the shadow of something huge looming over them) and a person is around, the danger they are sensing is the person themselves."
Echeverri added:
A spider will typically run away from a person if they can perceive us well. Many spiders don't have good vision, so they may not even really be able to get a sense of the entirety of a person since we are so much bigger than them. They may run away from a person's arm, footstep, or the light of the phone, or even the sound of their voice, without really understanding that it is all one creature.
Although spiders usually have six or eight eyes, the Australian Museum writes that "few have good eyesight." Instead, the arachnids "rely instead on touch, vibration and taste stimuli to navigate and find their prey."
With more than 50,000 known species, spiders are among Earth's most diverse taxonomic animal groups. Different species can also exhibit other characteristics or traits. Some are known to use "random trash" to attract a mate, while Japan's Joro spider can transport themselves across wind-carried "parachutes." Some tarantula species have been recorded swimming, while others have woven psychedelic webs while tripping on LSD.
But at their core, spiders have an innate instinct to protect themselves.
"Spiders are wild animals and, like other wild animals, do not look to humans for protection," said Echeverri.
"The only conceivable situation I can imagine where a spider may be used to approaching a human would be in the case of a person that owns a pet jumping spider and has taken the time to train it to jump up onto their hand. Even then, that spider is not looking for shelter or protection, but either whatever food reward the trainer has used or is just being curious."