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drspidernz.bsky.social
Fiona Cross
@drspidernz.bsky.social
2.6K followers 92 following 120 posts
Arachnologist at University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Spider cognition, SciComm, and writer 🕷 #LoveSpiders
www.doctorspider.net
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drspidernz.bsky.social
Fiona Cross @drspidernz.bsky.social · Nov 16
Hello to all my new followers! I'm an Arachnologist with a background in Psychology - I'm an expert on spider cognition! 🕷 For more information on my work, check out my website www.doctorspider.net
Fiona Cross - Spider Cognition — Home
Website of Dr. Fiona Cross ("Doctor Spider") - Welcome! I am an expert on spider cognition. I use jumping spiders to investigate topics that include search images, planning, expectancy violation and n...
www.doctorspider.net
drspidernz.bsky.social
In case anyone needs to see this in their timeline today #GardenTreasures
A monarch caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly in my garden
February 12, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
davidjbradley.bsky.social
What's so amazing about Jim Henson as a puppeteer is that he could literally be explaining that Kermit is made out of felt and ping pong balls and yet Kermit still feels alive the whole time he's doing it
February 11, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
shadowdogdesigns.bsky.social
#Antique Watches, Cameras, and Medical Equipment Morph Into Meticulous #Steampunk #Spiders by Peter Szucsy #art

More information and photos of his amazing art are found here: www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/11/pete...
February 10, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
histoftech.bsky.social
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
siouxsiew.bsky.social
Morning all! I recently did an interview with NBR about why I took legal action against my employer despite knowing I was going to lose money. They’ve just made the interview free to view so here’s the link if you are interested www.nbr.co.nz/toil-and-tro...
‘It was worth it’: Siouxsie Wiles on her employment stoush - NBR | Business news & analysis | Independent, ad-free reporting
Read premium business news, economic analysis, and market reporting from New Zealand’s most trusted business newsroom. Subscribe to support independent journalism.
www.nbr.co.nz
February 6, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
lalahaenzy.com
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
alexwild.bsky.social
Who can enjoy this toucan? You can.
Close-in photo of the head and upper body of a keel billed toucan in side view, its enormous colorful bill wide open, against a soft forested backdrop.
January 11, 2026 at 2:24 AM
drspidernz.bsky.social
Merry Christmas! #Christmas
Selfie with Santa
December 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
drspidernz.bsky.social
This Christmas spider has been a favourite for a while 🕷
#Christmas #Spider #LoveSpiddrs
Christmas tree ornament of a sparkly spider in a sparkly web
December 24, 2025 at 5:07 AM
drspidernz.bsky.social
I have submitted my abstract (the deadline was extended to December 19). Excited to see Montréal for the first time! 🕷
compcogsoc.bsky.social Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · Dec 10
There's still time to submit your abstract for #CO32026! 🙌 The submission deadline is on Friday Dec 12th, all information about registration, membership, and the conference is on the website: www.comparativecognition.org/conference.php 🧪
See you in Montréal! 🐶🐝🐟🐦🐀🐍🦧🦝🐢🐘🐬🦦🕷️🐖🐆
#CompCog #AnimalBehavior
Comparative Cognition Society - Conference (CO3)
www.comparativecognition.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:12 PM
drspidernz.bsky.social
Our latest paper is out, and it's on one my favourite spiders, Evarcha culicivora! Mate choice as a third context in which a mosquito-specialist jumping spider attends to red-coloured cues #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
Mate choice as a third context in which a mosquito-specialist jumping spider attends to red-coloured cues
Abstract. For animals living in a noisy world, the volume of potentially relevant information exceeds attentional capacity, but relying on the same cue in
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 18, 2025 at 6:03 PM
drspidernz.bsky.social
Psychology end-of-year party today. The theme was Christmas movies, so it was time to be Princess Fiona
Here we have Princess Fiona (clothed in green, and complete with Princess Fiona ears) and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland
December 3, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
aptshadow.bsky.social
Being bitten by a radioactive spider is always a bit of a gamble tbh.
artinsociety.bsky.social Journal of Art in Society @artinsociety.bsky.social · Nov 27
19th century wooden “walking” doll with a wheel of eight legs ~ when costumed, the doll’s long dress would cover most of the leg mechanism, allowing the doll to “walk” when moving, while appearing to have only two legs at any one time www.theriaults.com/events/listi...
November 27, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
ibycter.bsky.social
Habronattus borealis male, from Pomquet Beach, NS
a beautiful Paradise jumping spider, a male, overall he is dark on the body reddish on the legs and has nice frosty whitish blue palps and green eyes. He is on a rock with the blue sky behind.
November 6, 2025 at 5:07 PM
drspidernz.bsky.social
Been a busy time because I've been putting together an online course on Comparative Cognition for University of Canterbury. It's launching in a week from now! courseinfo.canterbury.ac.nz/GetCourseDet...
Special Topic: Comparative Cognition
Animals are often faced with many different challenges in their everyday lives. Prey, for instance, might be difficult to find, or individuals may need to display to attract mates without also attract...
courseinfo.canterbury.ac.nz
November 2, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
amwinsor.bsky.social
If your porch lights are on this spooky season, you may be attracting spiders! 🕷️🕸️🎃 Grad student extraordinaire Wes Walsh just published his work in @animbehsociety.bsky.social . Check it out!

nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
spiderdungeon.bsky.social
Inside Dewey the Jumping Spider’s head 👀🔍
October 31, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
minouette.bsky.social
Happy Halloween! Hope you are enjoying spooky season and Halloween. We made a jumping spider jack-o-lantern this year! A true collaboration: the 11yo carved the pedipalps (they look like small arms near the mouth) and I carved the 8 eyes and 8 legs. Legs are tricky!
🐡🕷️
This is our Jack-o-lantern on a table on our porch. It’s made of a large pumpkin for the abdomen of the jumping spider (from which 8 legs like wide v’s are cut and affixed with toothpicks). The head in front is a smaller pumpkin with 2 large and 2 medium circular eyes are visible. There are two smaller pairs on the sides but not visible here. Below the eyes are furry pedipalps. It’s dark and both pumpkins are lit. Same double pumpkin jumping spider jack-o-lantern but a side view so you can see the smaller eyes, the legs and the wide v holes cut in the abdomen to produce the legs
November 1, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
siouxsiew.bsky.social
Morning peeps! I’ve written a piece for @thespinoff.bsky.social on why I ended up taking legal action against my employer and a little bit about how it played out. The whole story needs a book to tell but this is a good start 😂 thespinoff.co.nz/society/01-1... thespinoff.co.nz/society/01-1...
Siouxsie Wiles: Why I’m crowdfunding despite winning my legal battle
'Between the ERA and the Employment Court, my husband and I have spent over $632,000.'
thespinoff.co.nz
October 31, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
bertonemyia.bsky.social
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 🎃👻
Is that a pumpkin or a spider butt? The marbled #orbweaver is all decked out for fall and the spooky season (though, really, this lovely lady was very shy and harmless)!

#Araneidae: #Araneus marmoreus
#Arachtober
A large round marbled orange rump faces the camera. Radiating out from it are 8 striped legs. An orange marbled orbweaver spider sits on a white background facing the viewer. It has small eyes and spiky striped legs. An orange marbled orbweaver spider sits on a white background facing to the left. It has small eyes and spiky striped legs.
October 31, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
ajblake05.bsky.social
This one is for the Children of Time fans (scale should be about right)! Enjoy this jumping spider (Pancorius sp.) Jack-O'-lantern!! Thanks to @nickybay.bsky.social for the reference image (www.flickr.com/photos/nicka...).

#halloween #jackolantern #arachtober #jumpingspiders #salticidae
A lit jack-o'-lantern with a jumping spider design in a dark room with an orange glow. Adam holding the a lit jack-o'-lantern with a jumping spider design A unlit jack-o'-lantern with a jumping spider design. A lit jack-o'-lantern with a jumping spider design in a dark room with an orange glow from a string of pumpkin lights.
October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
arachtober.bsky.social
Take it all off! - #Arachtober 31
Molting Western Spotted Orbweaver
(Neoscona oaxacensis)
#spider #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography
Macro photo of a spider hanging upside down shedding its old exoskeleton.
October 31, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Reposted by Fiona Cross
arachtober.bsky.social
I noticed a quickly shutting tiny door. I pried it open to see this set of legs. Only good shot I got. Possibly a Southwestern Trapdoor Spider (Eucteniza relata). First trapdoor spider I have found. Found in South Texas.
#Arachtober #spider #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography
Spider feet sticking out of a hole.
October 31, 2025 at 7:14 AM
drspidernz.bsky.social
I wanted to share this gorgeous little jumping spider for #Arachtober! This is a currently unnamed species of Trite that I found in Christchurch. Not normally found there. Amazing what can happen when you take the time to look 🕷 #LoveSpiders
A little jumping spider looking at the camera Side-on view of the same little jumping spider
October 31, 2025 at 6:49 AM