The messy beast

[Prajwal J Ullal]

ID: Spitting spider

This one is one of those instances when, irrespective of how many encounters or experiences you have, but out of nowhere you get the surprise, an unusual curve ball. While I could spot the spitting spider, hanging off the leaf, it took me a good 4-5 shots to decipher the sight, that was in front of me, as initially I thought the beauty was actually hanging off a dried part of the leaf and is, probably, covered with tiny off springs, as it seemed to shrug off a few that were venturing onto its eyes, only after getting closer and framing the beauty realized that it had caught a mighty moth, which was actually hanging onto the tip of the leaf, held by the web laid/anchored by the spidey and this one was feasting on the catch, struggling with sight due to the dispersal of the tiny, feather like, elements from the wing of the moth, which actually had engulfed onto the limbs and almost whole body of the predator. It was also surprising how the colour of the prey and the predator blended so well.

EXIF:
Canon 80D
Canon 100mm macro+ Raynox
F/16
Shutterspeed 1/320
ISO 320
Handheld, external flash fired

Location: Nagla trail

[Mrudul Godbole]

I read your desciption in detail first and then checked the photograph, so I could understand exactly what was going on :). So the moth is the one which we can see at the bottom of the frame? Or it is the one in the lighter shade which we can see below the spider?? Interesting behavior photographed. Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Very interesting. It is slowly stripping the moth and feasting. At such close distances, it is often difficult to understand. How did you sight this one? The white tiny feathery substances also make it difficult to focus. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi