Cannibalism among spiders has long fascinated arachnologists, yet within the diverse world of jumping spiders (family Salticidae), such behavior is rarely observed and even more rarely documented. The present observation records a striking instance of egg predation — a female Two-Striped Jumper (Telamonia dimidiata) consuming an entire egg sac of its own species. Though such behavior is known to scientists, it has never before been visually documented in this species.
During a field survey in the moist undergrowth of Murshidabad, West Bengal, India, I observed a mature female T. dimidiata actively locating and feeding upon an egg sac. The act was deliberate and sustained, indicating a purposeful feeding behavior rather than incidental disturbance. The female pierced the silk casing with her chelicerae, extracted the eggs, and consumed them one by one until the sac was completely emptied.
Eggs are among the most protein-rich resources in nature, and such opportunistic cannibalism may represent an adaptive response to nutritional stress or reproductive demand. Female spiders, particularly those engaged in or recovering from oviposition, often face a high metabolic requirement. Consuming non-viable or unguarded eggs may therefore provide a crucial supplement of energy and amino acids necessary for survival or future reproductive success.
A green caterpillar caught by a tiny predator — nature in action
A giant caterpillar is caught by the tiny hunter Rhene flavicomans, a wasp-mimic jumping spider. Despite the massive difference in size, the spider shows extraordinary courage and precision, gripping its prey with perfect timing. This dramatic moment reveals nature’s truth — survival depends not on size, but on skill, instinct, and strategy.
I took this photo during a late-night ritual at a folk festival in Murshidabad. The room was full of smoke, drumbeats, and people sitting close together, watching in silence and awe. The man in the center caught my eye bare chested, holding a burning incense pot, completely focused. He wasn’t just performing; he seemed to be in a deep spiritual state.
I waited for the right moment before clicking the shutter. The smoke, the light, and his intense expression came together just for a second and I captured it.
For me, this photo isn’t just about the ritual. It’s about the powerful energy in the room, and the feeling of being part of something sacred and real.
– Рейтинг фотографов по странам и городам строится на основе 3-х лучших фотографий автора и их относительной позиции в каждой отдельной номинации. Рейтинг в номинации "Мобильная фотография" учитывается в меньшей степени для формирования рейтинга. В списке по странам и городам показывается одна фотография автора с лучшим рейтингом.
– В списке опубликованы только работы которые прошли 2-й этап голосования.
– В рейтинге лучших фотографий учитывается только одна — самая сильная — работа от каждого автора. Даже если у фотографа опубликовано несколько работ, в расчёте позиции используется только одна, с наивысшим рейтингом. Поэтому порядок фотографий в списке может не совпадать с итоговым положением автора в рейтинге.
– The rating of photographers by countries and cities is based on the three best photos of the author and their relative position in each separate nomination. Rating in the nomination "Mobile Photography" is taken into account to a lesser extent for rating formation. The list by country and city shows one photo of the author with the best rating.
– Only those photos have been published in the list that passed the second stage of voting.
– Only one strongest photo from each author is counted in the Best Photos ranking. Even if a photographer has several published works, only the highest-rated one is used to calculate their ranking position. As a result, the order of photos in the list may not match the author's final ranking position.
