The Himalayan Jumping spider, Euophrys omnisuperstes, is on top of the world. Its scientific name translated means ‘standing above everything’. This spider who resides within the Himalayan mountain range is possible the best contender for the title of ‘highest known permanent resident on the planet’.
Found regularly at elevations of up to 6,700 meters, or 22,000 feet on Mount Everest, this little spider has made it up to and past Everest base camp, and has been regularly seen by climbers whilst waiting to habituate themselves to the altitude.
How does a predator survive in an altitude that its pray does not, its only food source is animals such as spring tails and other small invertebrates that have been brought up the mountains by wind currents. Because of being such an opportunistic hunter it has developed, like many jumping spiders, fantastic eyesight.
The species has not yet been classified by the IUCN so is not featured on their Red List, so we do not know how large the population is at standing or if there are any threats to this animal’s survival.
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