Spiders are much smarter than you think

Trying to take pictures of jumping spiders is a good way to see how clever they are. We have some lovely little iridescent ones that like our flower beds, I've spent hours trying to get shots of some of them but only have a few.

I had to conclude they're fond of hide and seek, and they understand the difference between a human looking at them and a human holding something. Come out and dance at you until you bring the camera up, then scuttle behind something with just one leg visible... I think that was the "middle finger" translated.