It is logical to assume that a large brain size is needed to perform complex tasks. However, spiders seem to defy this trend by using tiny brains, small as the size of a pinhead, to produce sophisticated behaviors. Efficiency and compactness make the nervous system of spiders the perfect tool for studies in neurobiology. Their simple, yet efficient nervous system allows us to conduct and test hypotheses about the relationship between brain organization, connectivity, and behavior more easily than is possible in vertebrates. How is it possible that small sized animals such as spiders are able to show complex behaviors. My lab has recently found that we most of the behavior performed by the spider is due visual based. This finding has enabled us to perform physiological tests on the visual pathways on the brain of the spider.
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