A spider with a brain the size of a poppy seed plans detours to ambush its prey

Portia jumping spiders hunt other spiders, and researchers found they'll pause to scan a scene, then set off on winding routes that take them out of sight of their prey entirely, sometimes moving further away before circling back, before arriving at exactly the right spot to strike. They pick the correct path on the first attempt even when it temporarily leads them away from the target, suggesting some kind of mental map of the route.

— Robert R. Jackson and Fiona R. Cross, Route selection by a jumping spider (Portia labiata) during the locomotory phase of a detour — Behavioral studies, University of Canterbury