Mosquito Muncher - _TNY_1116

I had the pleasure of watching this juvenile raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus) run across the water surface in the water barrel and pick up a mosquito that had gotten stuck in the water and then how it ate it through the lenses of my camera. I say lenses because at first I was using the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS plus Raynox DCR-250 and got a bunch of shots before shifting to the Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro and getting a couple of really high magnification portraits.

 

This one was with the 100mm though and it was fascinating to see through the viewfinder how it kept moving the left and right chelicerae (one at the time) and retract one fang from the prey and then reinsert it before doing the same with the other. No idea what function this serves, but then I don’t usually eat that way.

 

Two shots of the same spider on a couple of rose petals on the water here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48506742957/ and here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48684623271/ and one of those high-mag portraits here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/48515193146/

Done