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The Master Killer - Rhene jumping spider One of my friend who shoots spiders, once said about how these Rhene jumping spiders hunt other spiders with stealth.  They are one of the most powerful hunters among the spiders. I took his words lightly and thought they might be like any other jumping spider. <br />
It was on my annual visit to the edge of one of the water fall in the Western Ghats.  Every visit, i was offered something new.  It was packed with many first from this place. After spending one night, the next day we packed and were about to leave. Then suddenly this Rhene spider caught my attention. I didnt understand what me stare this spider. My friends called me to start the return journey, i didnt budge, my gaze fixed at the spider, then within a fraction of second, the spider caught this caterpillar. It went straight for its neck. The caterpillar with all its energy twisted just 2 times, but the venom was so powerful, it lost its battle in no time. <br />
It is definitely one of my best natural history moment in my wildlife journey.<br />
  Jumping Spider,action,brutal,caterpillar,india,kill,natural history moment,predator,prey,rhene,salticidae,spider,venom,western ghats Click/tap to enlarge

The Master Killer - Rhene jumping spider

One of my friend who shoots spiders, once said about how these Rhene jumping spiders hunt other spiders with stealth. They are one of the most powerful hunters among the spiders. I took his words lightly and thought they might be like any other jumping spider.
It was on my annual visit to the edge of one of the water fall in the Western Ghats. Every visit, i was offered something new. It was packed with many first from this place. After spending one night, the next day we packed and were about to leave. Then suddenly this Rhene spider caught my attention. I didnt understand what me stare this spider. My friends called me to start the return journey, i didnt budge, my gaze fixed at the spider, then within a fraction of second, the spider caught this caterpillar. It went straight for its neck. The caterpillar with all its energy twisted just 2 times, but the venom was so powerful, it lost its battle in no time.
It is definitely one of my best natural history moment in my wildlife journey.

    comments (4)

  1. Beautiful spider. Rhene is the genus though, so you'll need a little more research to get to species level and an official ID. Posted 9 years ago
    1. I'm not good at spiders. I did try to get the ID, but as Claire mentioned, we need to observe the specimen carefully. Posted 9 years ago
  2. Quite an amazing experience, it is always something special to see nature in action. It would be nice to get this to species level, but it can be hellishly difficult especially as there are so many species in the genus, quite often it can only be done by examination under a microscope. I have added 'Salticidae' to the tags as that is the family. Great photo! Posted 9 years ago
    1. I did try Claire, the experts said they cant with a such a photograph!! Posted 9 years ago

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By karthik_ak

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Uploaded Nov 29, 2015. Captured Oct 18, 2015 09:40.
  • NIKON D7200
  • f/6.3
  • 1/1600s
  • ISO250
  • 90mm