Thinking on your feet - Brain Size

Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. 

As part of ongoing research to understand how miniaturization affects brain size and behaviour, researchers measured the central nervous systems of nine species of spiders, from rainforest giants to spiders smaller than the head of a pin.

As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities.

A whole new meaning for thinking on your feet

50 Million year old spider

A spider that has been preserved in amber for 50 million years is pictured in India.

A vast collection of bees, termites, spiders, flies and ants dating back 53 million years has challenged assumptions about India's early history.

The bugs, preserved in lumps of amber, show that India was not cut off from the rest of the world before joining the Asian continent 50 million years ago

Arachnaphobia: Golden Orb Spider poses on keeper's face

A large Golden Orb Spider crawls on the face of a Sydney Wildlife World keeper. The park is holding a survey to establish which of two types of animals the public find more creepy, snakes or spiders

Picture: AP