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<\/p> The University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest is recognized not only in Hungary but also within the international scientific community. The active research activities of our faculty members are of paramount importance to the university, as they not only provide up-to-date knowledge for students but also contribute significantly to the advancement of their scientific fields and our institution.<\/p>
Dr. Tam\u00e1s Sz\u0171ts, a senior research fellow at the university\u2019s Department of Zoology, recently returned from an expedition to Madagascar, where he studied rainforest-dwelling jumping spiders and sought to discover new species. While researching jumping spiders may not seem like an obvious priority at first glance, Dr. Sz\u0171ts emphasized its importance: This expedition was not a spontaneous endeavour. Dr. Sz\u0171ts was invited to collaborate by Dr. Wayne Maddison, one of the world\u2019s leading taxonomists and systematic researchers of jumping spiders. Together, they wrote a book chapter on the taxonomic changes in jumping spiders over the past decade, during which they realized the importance of Madagascar\u2019s jumping spiders and the scarcity of available specimens. The experiences gained during the expedition, along with the collected specimens and ecological data, are key to understanding this fascinating and significant spider group.<\/p> Madagascar is often referred to as the “Noah\u2019s Ark” of evolutionary biology, as it is home to species that have disappeared from the rest of the world. The research team\u2019s destination was Masoala National Park in the northeast of the island. Although it is about half the size of Hungary\u2019s Csongr\u00e1d-Csan\u00e1d County, it is sparsely populated and largely undisturbed, making it home to numerous unique jumping spider species. In Madagascar, different jumping spider groups have adapted to a wide variety of microenvironments, leading to the evolution of new species. This evolutionary process, known as adaptive radiation, explains how species diversify from a common ancestor in response to environmental conditions. During the expedition, the team collected hundreds of jumping spider specimens, including species previously known from only a few \u2014 or even a single \u2014 individuals. The spiders were captured alive to allow for detailed study and photography at a coastal campsite. After thorough documentation, some specimens were released, while others were used for genetic and morphological analyses.<\/p> The expedition yielded several exciting discoveries. Although molecular analyses are still pending, the researchers observed remarkable behaviours. For instance, males of some diurnal jumping spider species build protective webs for themselves and females \u2014 a rare behaviour among jumping spiders \u2014 spend the night together in this structure. Another surprising finding was that certain primitive jumping spider species exhibit advanced parental care: juvenile spiders in their fourth moulting stage were found in a protective web alongside their mother, a behaviour previously unknown among jumping spiders.<\/p> Processing the collected data and publishing the results will be a lengthy process. Researchers must first identify and describe the species before writing scientific papers. The first publications are expected early next year, and the book chapter that prompted the expedition is also in progress.<\/p> In the long term, the study of jumping spiders is significant for evolutionary biology and has practical applications. As mentioned earlier, their exceptional vision could inspire advancements in robotics. Additionally, spider venom holds great potential; ongoing research worldwide focuses on synthesizing and testing its effectiveness in cancer treatment. This research is valuable for the scientific community and plays a crucial role in educating students. Students can participate in processing the expedition\u2019s findings, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions, allowing many to publish scientific papers during their university years.<\/p> The University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest\u2019s zoology research program provides not only theoretical knowledge but also real research experience. Expeditions like this one to Madagascar inspire future scientists and help keep our university at the forefront of zoological research.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The active research activities of our faculty members are of paramount importance to the university, as they not only provide up-to-date knowledge for students but also contribute significantly to the advancement of their scientific fields and our institution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2518,"featured_media":174314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175712,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175711\/revisions\/175712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/univet.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
“Studying jumping spiders can help us understand how evolution works and provide valuable new information which is fundamental to scientific progress and essential for a deeper understanding of how life functions.”<\/em><\/p> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/univet.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Spider-soup-WhatsApp-kep-2024-11-10-16.48.51_d2a46ced-240x320.jpg\")
Jumping spiders occupy a unique place in the arachnid world. Although they are a relatively young family (having evolved around 60 million years ago), they boast the highest species diversity among spiders. This is partly due to their exceptional vision \u2014 unlike the human retina, their four-layered retinas provide outstanding resolution with no blind spots. Their remarkable ability to process visual information allows them to employ complex hunting strategies, which is particularly surprising given their tiny, pinhead-sized brains. If we could understand how such a small number of neurons can process vast amounts of information, it could lead to revolutionary advancements in applied sciences.<\/p> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/univet.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20241104_144017-168x320.jpg\")
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