Being bitten by a radioactive spider is always a bit of a gamble tbh.

Recruiting a PhD student to join us at Univ Canterbury (Christchurch, NZ) to study how people perceive animal minds & how those perceptions shape moral concern, behaviour, & policy. Scholarship info: www.canterbury.ac.nz/research/abo... Rolling review starts Dec 2025 • Flexible Feb–July 2026 start

Habronattus borealis male, from Pomquet Beach, NS

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...

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...

Inside Dewey the Jumping Spider’s head 👀🔍

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! 🐡🕷️

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...

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

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

Take it all off! - #Arachtober 31 Molting Western Spotted Orbweaver (Neoscona oaxacensis) #spider #macro #macrophotography #naturephotography

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

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 podcast episode for #Arachtober! "New Zealand's Dr Fiona Cross tells a tale of two spiders: one that outsmarted its researchers and another that's mysteriously drawn to our smelly socks." Some legendary spiders, as well as my story of what inspired me to work with them 🕷 pod.link/aHR0cHM6Ly9m...

Wolf Momma - #Arachtober 22 (Hogna antelucana) #spider #stereophotography #naturephotography

Most scientists are not great at communicating their science, says Dean Pentcheff #LivingData2025. #ScienceCommunication is effective when we use narratives. Tell your story. Then you’ll get into people’s hearts. #JaneGoodall

Phidippus arizonensis #Arachtober #spider #jumpingspider #stereopgrahy #naturemacrophotography #macrophotography

It's been a lovely #Arachtober so far - sharing spider cognition research at a special Arachtober evening (where I made everyone wish each other a Happy Arachtober), plus legendary spider socks and sparkly spiders. Arachtober is the gift that keeps on giving! 🕷#LoveSpiders

#Arachtober 13 Crab Spider 2:1 magnification macro I shot last night. I love the depth and detail of this one. Found in South Texas, USA. #spider #crabspider #macrophotography #naturephotography #stereogram

#Arachtober 10th is International Jumping Spider Day! Created in 2017 to show the cutest and most adorable spiders as a way for people to embrace instead of fear spiders. Started by photographer Shaham Tamir. Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax) #JumpingSpiderDay #macro #macrophotography #spider

My kind of collaboration.

He's perfect, and #Arachtober themed Mr Phidippus cardinalis appeared this afternoon and made my day. ❤️ #EmotionalSupportSpood

#Arachtober 1st - Tropical Orb Weaver (Eriophora ravilla). One of my favorites. Very common in South Texas. Can be found up the East Coast of USA down to South America. This is a stereo image. Cross your eyes for 3D. 🕷️ #spider #orbweaver #arachnid #macrophotography #naturephotography

Ok, this is on my office door now. Wishing you all a happy #Arachtober! To learn about the history of Arachtober, check out this website Arachtober.com @arachtober.bsky.social @ashleymbradford.bsky.social #LoveSpiders

Join us in celebrating Arachtober by sharing your #spider and other #arachnid photos all month. #Arachtober has spread around the web. We’ve created a basic site at Arachtober.com to explain what this is all about. Banner by @ashleymbradford.bsky.social, inspired by my recent linocut artwork.

Yay - it's now Arachtober! Happy #Arachtober, everyone! 🕷🕸️🦂

Looking forward to giving my next Nerd Nite talk on Wednesday! Looks like tickets are still available: events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-ch... Here is last year's talk - this year's talk will have a spider cognition theme! 🕷 youtu.be/7EBi7FUpGaY?...

There's going to be a special #Arachtober evening for Nerd Nite in #Christchurch on Wednesday 1 October! @corvink.bsky.social and I are both giving talks, and I'll be sharing some highlights of spider cognition research. Tickets and further details are here 👉 events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-ch...

Exciting work in progress seeks to explain the bizarre and wonderful diversity of Peacock spiders: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There's going to be a special #Arachtober evening for Nerd Nite in #Christchurch on Wednesday 1 October! @corvink.bsky.social and I are both giving talks, and I'll be sharing some highlights of spider cognition research. Tickets and further details are here 👉 events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-ch...

I'm going to talking about spiders on More FM Manawatu tomorrow (Friday) at 8:12 AM 🕷 #NewZealand #SciComm

One of my favourite things about my campus at this time of the year. I took a moment to get some photos before the weather turns this afternoon! #Christchurch #NewZealand

Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool.

MEMBER HIGHLIGHT: Michael Beran, Professor of Psychology, Georgia State University. Michael studies comparative cognition with an emphasis on metacognition, self-control, prospective cognition, numerical cognition, perception, and decision making. Check out his lab website: sites.gsu.edu/comic-lab/

Been ages since I've posted on here. Life's had its ups and downs, but it was lovely to spend some time at Hagley Park today #Christchurch

Extremely wholesome and short thread of library-related goodness! 😍 ^MT

Happy birthday #BillAndTedDay Let’s all try and be excellent to each other. Even during hard times.

Do follow the best library in Aotearoa.

This might be the absolute greatest reply we have ever received. Thank you, Cookie Monster 📕🍪💙

"Scientific conferences are leaving the US amid border fears" shorturl.at/VwQww

“I first noticed a spider web within a week of being here. I thought ‘ah well, I’m a pretty out of it dude so let’s have some spiders’". What a delightful person! #LoveSpiders 🕷 www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3606...

So happy to see this in my garden!

🎇✨Congratulations Prof. Susan Healy, our 2027 Research Award recipient (Uni. St Andrews, UK). A symposium + banquet will honor her contributions at the 2027 conference & a special issue will be published March 2028: 'In Honour of the Contributions of Susan Healy' #WomenInSTEM

Folks, it's just not worth travelling to the US right now.

a massive Paraphidippus aurantius jumping spider feeds on a caterpillar, August 6th, 2021 my most observed species on iNaturalist - lucky to be in an area so rich with beautiful salticids 🙇

Pirate beautician.

LOOOOOOK at her MOON egg sack!!!! 🌕🕷️

For St Patrick's Day, I have found this photo of a lovely Phidippus regius sporting some sparkly green chelicerae 🤩 #LoveSpiders

I spent some time for #SpiderSunday photographing Helpis minitabunda females. I found them here in Christchurch, New Zealand #LoveSpiders