As promised, this thread is about spiders, so look away now if you don't share my fascination! :bug:
I had thought about posting a variety of species, but in the end decided to stick with my original plan which is to show an interesting interaction between two spiders. Initially, I had thought I was witnessing some sort of attack by a smaller predator on a much larger spider. Wrong! It turns out that I was watching part of the mating ritual of Araneus diadematus, the common Garden Spider.
The female garden spider sits in her web all day and night and waits to catch flies. If disturbed she may run for cover under a leaf. It's one of the most familiar sights in an English garden. She's the moderately large, pale and patterned spider, often seen setting up a web across garden borders and shrubberies. Less commonly seen (because so much smaller) is the male. In these photos he is approaching the female with significant caution. There was plenty of arm waving on his part, and he would repeatedly approach the female only to retreat at the last moment. She remained firmly in the centre of the web, occasionally waving a fore-limb in warning. The male's caution is understandable. If mistaken for prey, he'll be eaten. :yikes:
I've seen this now on a couple of occasions, and the general behaviour was the same each time. In both instances the male retreated.
Camera note: Canon EOS 40D with a Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens. For light I used the Canon 430EX flash unit.
cakkleberrylane
15 Sep 2008Wonderful series! It sheds some light on some of our spiders and their behaviour!
CedarFox
15 Sep 2008Nice pictures :up: Male spiders seem to face a lot of danger for… ummm… you know :whistle:
chthoniid
15 Sep 2008Some male spiders come up with interesting tricks to avoid being eaten. One device is nuptial gifts- you present a wrapped-up prey item for the female. When she's unwrapping the gift, you dash in-and-out very quickly…
Another trick is to tie the female up in a few silk threads, or to wait until she does her final moult- and when she is at her most vulnerable (exoskeleton still soft), mate then.
A lot though seems to depend on accurate communication- strumming threads, performing dances etc- to signal that you are not prey 🙂
gdare
15 Sep 2008It seems like love at first sight to me. But love hurts and he is probably aware of that 😀
anonymous
15 Sep 2008TBR writes:
Super series of shots again Words.
That dark background really makes them exceptional.
Flying Red Fox Blog
15 Sep 2008Wow lovelly shots 😀 If i was him i would wanna stay single! 😆
Words
15 Sep 2008Mark, but you have to give him credit for trying!
Words
15 Sep 2008Hi TBR, good to see you!
Words
15 Sep 2008Brendan, that's fascinating… gifts of food, a bit of bondage, or if all else fails serenade on a guitar.
Words
15 Sep 2008Eric, yes I know what you mean. No wonder Peter Parker was always so miserable 😉
Words
15 Sep 2008Darko, it's a risky business for sure :bug:
Words
15 Sep 2008Thanks Lois. I love finding moments like that, because it forces me to learn a little bit more about what I'm looking at.
chthoniid
16 Sep 2008Nuptial gifts are a pretty neat idea. It makes a bit of evolutionary sense. The female needs protein to turn into egg mass. The male needs to mate with as many females as possible before exhaustion or predation takes him out. So nuptial gif are a win-win situation.
The system though can be abused- some spiders that use nupital gifts will employ seeds or small stones instead of prey (less time and energy to catch). If you can make your move before the female discovers she's being tricked…well, it does pay. Another cheat- if you're fast enough- is to seize the gift back before the female has finished unwrapping it. That way you can reuse it on another female 🙂
I rckone I've known a few guys like that…
SittingFox
16 Sep 2008Very interesting behaviour shots. For some reason I've seen more spiders in the last few days that I've seen all summer! :confused:
Words
16 Sep 2008Adele, the spiders do seem active. I suspect the change in the weather has made a difference. I saw plenty more today out by the woods.
Words
16 Sep 2008Brendan, I didn't know they sometimes stole the gift back :faint: And to keep the wrapping! Sheesh…
Words
16 Sep 2008Thanks Cynthia. 🙂
Cynthia23
16 Sep 2008WOW Words! Very interesting pictures! :up:
Vulpes vulpes
28 Sep 2008Poor little fellow. I hope it was worth it in the end…! 😉
Words
28 Sep 2008I may never know! but he seems to have built a mini penthouse web nearby.