Category: spider

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Golden Orb Spiders

For the last couple of years, we have only spotted very few spiders. But this season, we have had a spider explosion!

I even renamed one of the major roads in Thanda to ‘Spider Alley’.

My favorites are the Golden Orb Spiders with their beautiful colors, long legs, and golden silk webs.

Interesting fact: The female Golden Orb spiders are up to 10 times larger than the males, as the males have only one function in life!

_Photography Info: These pictures were taken with a Canon EOS R6 Mark II and two different lenses, a 800mm RF lens and a 24-240mm RF lens._

On the golden orb (its web)
Two golden orbs!
Having a meal
male vs female
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Golden Orb Weavers …

… are noted for the impressive webs they weave. There are quite a few different species in the genus _Trichonephila_. The females can reach sizes of over 5cm (2″). The males are usually 2/3 smaller.

This picture shows what one can close-up work one can do with a good smart phone.

Technical data: Apple 14 Pro Max | Main Camera 48mm | ISO 80 | 1/85sec | f1.8 | ev+0 | 240mm

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

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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

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Sometimes …

… on a very hot day mammals are just not available for sightings on game drives. They hide in the shade of thick bush and are not visible at all.

At such times smaller creatures like spiders can provide beautiful material for wildlife photography.

On Sunday afternoon I took some guests on a drive down ‘spider alley’ and we observed these fascinating creatures waiting patiently for prey or devouring it.

Here are some of the pictures taken of Golden Orb Spiders, Garden Orb Spiders and Bark Spiders.

My guests enjoyed this special arachnid drive very much!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #pakamisagamereserve @pakamisagamereserve

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Strong silk!

I do not know the name of this small (yellow/orange) spider, but it certainly must have potent venom and very strong silk.

As we arrived back at the Thanda Safari Lodge after a very productive morning game drive one of our guests pointed at a small spider and a honey bee seemingly floating in the air. When we looked closer it became clear that the spider was holding the dead bee firmly with its pedipalps while slowly pulling itself and its prey up to a branch by a silk strand.

Sometimes the ‘small sightings’ are even more fascinating than the big ones!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

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The Green Mamba and the Spider

Occasionally a Bark Spider decides to span its web across a road. If I see it in time (before driving through it) I always stop and show this fascinating creature and its ‘hunting tool’ to my guests. Once we had a good look I ‘cut’ the anchor line and the base line of the web.

The spider, now hanging with his web material from one tree only, eats up the remaining silk to preserve the protein for its next night’s web-building.

Nature is amazing!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

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PRECISION

Two days ago we did a short night drive and we saw Spotted Eagle Owls, a White-faced Owl, Side-striped Jackals, a Bush-Baby (Brown Thick-tailed Galagos), a White-tailed Mongoose and a few Bark Spiders, who build every evening precision-webs to catch prey during the night.

The next morning they eat their own webs to preserve the protein for the coming night’s master-building session 😊

#Pakamisagamereserve @pakamisagamereserve #christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

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