Jumping spider

Spider week - day 1

I did not plan to blip this spider today, but I found it within moments of arriving at the stream location. I thought it might be an easy introduction into my spider week, rather than wading in with a leggy monster, big enough to pinch a chip off your plate.

This is a different model of jumping spider to the blip of a week ago, also this is a female, seen by the lack of boxing glove growths on its feelers (pedipalps). This spider was a lot easier to photograph than the last jumping spider, mainly because the males are looking for females at this time of the year. A few days ago, I chased a male through about fifteen feet of undergrowth whereas this female did not leave the same leaf for the fifty shot session.

This spider is also sporting eight eyes. It is often assumed that all spiders have eight eyes whereas more often, as in the case of the previous jumping spider, they only have six eyes. Spider eyes are not the same as the multi-faceted insect eyes, they are more like our own, with a single lens.

Jumping spiders have the most acute eyesight of the arachnid world, as can be seen from the huge two front eyes. The jumper does not use web material to capture its prey but it does lay a trail of silk, a bit like a safety line. The food is hunted by eye sight and pounced on. Tackling flies bigger than itself, it is a most impressive display should you ever get the opportunity to follow one.

Yes, it is mating time in the arachnid world. A time of dread and apprehension for all men spiders. Who can explain the power of natural instinct that drives the poor bloke to the hungry woman's den, load up your boxing gloves with seed and attempt to insert the seed in the abdomen of the one who loves you so much that you are on the menu!

The reason I have decided to do a week of spider blips, is that I have noticed a lot of activity across all the arachnid species and I am hoping to bring you a blip of the actual mating. I do not recall seeing such an image before so I am not holding my breath. The tentative foreplay takes many hours and the dirty deed only seconds, understandably! A bit of good fortune is going to have to come my way, so here's hoping the blip monster is smiling on me.

For those interested, I have put extra shots of this jumping spider in folio, as I will do every day for this series.

Dave