Small Kill!

As we drove through some high grass during yesterday evening’s game drive my tracker Bheki collected this fighting pair from our vehicle’s front fender. The small spider and the small Praying Mantis were in a fight for their lives.

When we encountered the two contestants the spider was missing two front legs but he had one of the Praying Mantis’ legs firmly locked in his pincers. We were not sure if the spider lost his legs in this fight or if he entered the contest thus handicapped.

After a few minutes struggle the spider had won and the Praying Mantis had died. It was astonishing how quickly the strong green color faded from the dead creature.

We carefully transferred the winner with his price into a nearby acacia and continued on our drive.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 320 | 1/500sec | f6.7 | ev+0.5 | 240mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 5% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography