Some rather fetching spiders photographed by Thomas Shahan.
Above: The anterior median eyes of an adult female Paraphidippus aurantius, seen here enjoying lunch.
Here’s an adult male Hentzia mitrata, with video.
Here’s a Phidippus audax of indeterminate gender.
And here’s an adult male Paraphidippus aurantius, prior to encountering a larger female and coming to a sticky end.
There’s more. Lots more.
Wow. The hair is amazing too. Do they use product?
Fantastic.
Brilliant photos. Can spiders move their eyes?
The jumping spiders, like those above, tend to have very good vision, at least by spider standards. Some species have fixed lenses and mobile retinas. Some have colour vision and can see ultraviolet wavelengths too.
There’s a summary of jumping spider vision here:
http://tolweb.org/accessory/Jumping_Spider_Vision?acc_id=1946
And here:
“The spider first senses movement of distant prey with the side eyes (PLE), which provide a blurry wide-angle image. Once movement is detected, the spider turns in that direction and locks onto the moving prey with the large, middle front eyes (AME). These eyes provide a clear, focussed telephoto image, probably in colour. The spider can track moving prey both by body movements and by using muscles to internally swivel the elongated eye capsules so that the light sensitive retina of each eye remains locked on the prey. While the spider stalks closer, it uses the side front eyes (ALE) to judge the distance to the prey. When it judges the prey to be close enough (about 2 cm – 3 cm), the spider leaps.”
http://australianmuseum.net.au/How-spiders-see-the-world
“The jumping spiders, like those above, tend to have very good vision, at least by spider standards. Some species have fixed lenses and mobile retinas. Some have colour vision and can see ultraviolet wavelengths too.”
Ah yes, spidey senses.
But do they feel the tingling?
http://goatmilk.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/freespidey2sense2.jpg
Thanks, David.
Photo #3 makes me think of baby hair. Not MY baby’s hair, obviously.
“Disappoinment for Penelope Cruz as New Eyes Of Revlon announced.”
These pictures, while beautiful, contain spiders, and as such, the mere sight of them would kill my wife.
Sending her the link now.
Anyone have a couch I can sleep on tonight?
Chris S,
Make sure you tell her they jump.
Jumping, not jumping, 1 cm across, 10 cm across, it doesn’t really matter. Spiders = terror. I could tell her that these are simply CGI creations and are not real, or I could tell her they have wings and are actually about a foot in diameter, but it wouldn’t make any difference. Spiders are spiders.
It’s like being bitten in the unmentionables by a snake. At that moment, while it’s dangling there with jaws clamped about your bits, does it really matter if it’s poisonous or not?
Oh, pretty!
And I’m a bit of an arachnophobe if they are too long, spindly legged, but the exsteme close-up and the vivid colours help with that…
They’re beautiful. Here’s another looker…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opoterser/3634381424/sizes/o/
“Spiders = terror.”
Maybe it’s partly because when they move they look vaguely like hands. Hands with lots of eyes and large venomous fangs.
“Enjoying lunch”
The eyes are bigger than the belly…
“Maybe it’s partly because when they move they look vaguely like hands.”
I think it’s more because the look like spiders.
I was bit by an arachnophobe once, and it scarred me for life. If I discover one in my apartment, I’m reduced to screaming wildly and using a broom to push them out.
Nice pictures, though.
-S
I think I just shit myself …
Amazing photography, this takes a lot of work and patience.
As an attestation to the visual acuity of the jumping spider, I once observed a jumping spider react to a small (1″) movement of my index finger at a distance of well over five feet.
S, thank you for alerting me to the existence of arachnophobic vampires. Have you looked into the possibility of reducing the scars with plastic surgery?
these spiders are beautiful! but I’m frightened!