Back Versions (1)
Views 195 Unique 75
Vote 49
Award Shortlist   

Crab Spider with prey 1

By franfoto
For those of you expecting to see another gorgeous model or a pretty flower from me well tough!!. There is nothing gentle about what I have for you today.
This is natural history at it's most basic and if you don't want the gory details then skip the following narrative.

Crab spiders
They don't spin webs but pounce on their victims, wrapping their spikey front legs around them, maneuvering them into position and injecting a venom which turns the victim's insides into a cocktail of nutritious soup, discarding the empty carcass afterwards. They lie in wait, usually hiding inside flowers and plants (in this case, a blue hydrangea) and bide their time until an unsuspecting victim flies onto the plant, usually to collect nectar, and meets a very sad and violent end
The whole procedure looked totally gruesome close up through my lens but fascinating...just like watching a sequence from a wildlife program. If you look carefully, you will see the spiders mouth 'tube' inside the belly of the prey sucking out the fluid. Uggggg! I took loads of these at different angles and have lots more to upload.

Oh dear...reading this back to myself it's probably indicative of the way I am feeling at the moment, depleted of energy from sleepless nights and constantly coughing due to a chest infection which is sapping my enthusiasm for most things, thank goodness for EPZ, at least I can share my photography and sit here quietly communicating with like minded people without spreading any germs.

Finally, My thanks to you all for your input on my last posting and especially to Alan gingernut21 for his user award. I really appreciate your interest and support.

Fran x

Tags: Insect Flowers and plants Close-up and macro Natural history Crab spider Wildlife and nature

Voters: Glyn1, Pegon, Badgerfred and 46 more

Readers' Choice Awards are given to photos that get over 30 votes

Uploaded:
1 Mar 2011 9:31PM
Camera:
Canon EOS 40D
Lens:
Canon 100mm - 2.8 macro
Shutter Speed:
1/250s
Aperture:
f/11.0
ISO:
400
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
More EXIF

PortraitPro 21 - 50% OFF + an EXTRA 20% OFF! Use Code: EPZJS

Comments


Glyn1 11 4 1 England
1 Mar 2011 9:39PM
Stunning capture.

Glyn
Pegon 15 78 1 England
1 Mar 2011 9:43PM
A superb capture Fran, cracking detail. I hope you're feeling better soon.
Pete.
Badgerfred Plus
13 36 Wales
1 Mar 2011 9:43PM
Agree with Glyn, stunning capture,
Fred.
alansnap 17 577 26 United Kingdom
1 Mar 2011 9:47PM
Wow, nature red in tooth and whatsit. A stunning capture. I hope your chest improves soon.
Alan
Alvar 13 23 2 France
1 Mar 2011 10:10PM
Fantastic capture !!!!! Get well soon Fran Smile Fascinating narrative .. Thank you.
Alvar
saeidNL 11 3 Netherlands
1 Mar 2011 10:38PM
Amazing macro shot,
saeid
lianna 11 13 United Kingdom
1 Mar 2011 10:57PM
Took a while to figure out the difference but spotted it eventually!!!! What an amazing looking spider... Works so well with the purple bg!!! A cracking macro x x
Daisymaye Plus
12 23 18 Canada
1 Mar 2011 11:59PM
Amazing macro, detail is shocking..................Sandy
taggart Plus
16 47 14 United States
2 Mar 2011 12:19AM
Macro photography at its best! VERy impressive image!

Kudos, Jennn
andylea 12 37 1 United Kingdom
2 Mar 2011 12:29AM
fantastic detail brilliant colours the picky v2for me today a stunning capture Wink
andy
franfoto 13 2 32 England
2 Mar 2011 1:00AM
Thanks for working out why I posted the 2nd version, shows you're paying attention lol.
For those who missed reading the description, version 2 has a couple of blemishes removed from the background.

Fran
CarolG 14 199 20 Greece
2 Mar 2011 6:12AM
Two superb macros, Fran, showing every gory detail of the little crab spider enjoying his lunch! Carol
KarenFB Plus
14 5.6k 180 England
2 Mar 2011 7:35AM
This is a wonderful image, something I'd love to capture (my camera is just not up to it!). The details, although a little gory are absolutely stunning!
pluckyfilly 14 351 33 United Kingdom
2 Mar 2011 7:55AM
that chest infection is horrible and probably what I had just after Christmas Fran, its started a whole process of other things and I am still being poked about by Drs. hope you feel better soon, I know so many friends that have had this awful infection thingy.

todays image is a great close up with a good intro
Scaramanga 13 60 6 United Kingdom
2 Mar 2011 1:02PM
Fabulous capture. Wonderful depth and colour.
barbarahirst 12 27 12 United Kingdom
2 Mar 2011 4:11PM
I was feeling quite faint ... and then read your write up ....
Thankyou !!! Wink
MickyMc 13 8 United Kingdom
2 Mar 2011 6:50PM
Now I am put off my tea Wink Clever you great macro.
Mavis
bricurtis Plus
15 2.4k 50 England
2 Mar 2011 8:55PM
A difficult shot to get Fran - this has turned out well with great detail. Seen this a couple of times myself but not got an image worth posting. Well done.
Brian.
Glostopcat 14 255 2 England
2 Mar 2011 10:53PM
A brilliant natural history image Fran, such awesome detail and striking colours, you've captured the moment perfectly.
goso 14 2 1 Australia
2 Mar 2011 11:43PM
Terrific detail Fran, and a perfect capture, for you and the spider...Bill
FeatherFriend 13 38 217 England
3 Mar 2011 11:15AM
Superb detail on this close up and not an easy shot to get, enjoyed the write up too, really well done,
Geoff x
PeterLaw 12 United Kingdom
5 Mar 2011 1:18PM
A great close up shot,well taken.
Peter
Chinga Plus
10 3 2 United Kingdom
18 Mar 2011 7:24PM
Amazing macro!
IB
sparrowhawk Plus
12 282 2 United Kingdom
26 Mar 2011 4:12PM
amazing

Sign In

You must be a member to leave a comment.

ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.

Join For Free

Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.

Cookies help us deliver our service. By using our service, you agree to our use of cookies. OK Learn more