If you’re not a fan of creepy crawlies, look away now.
These up-close and personal pictures show a water-dwelling spider feasting on a fish.
The images – likely to make any arachnophobe’s skin crawl – show a Nilus spider gobbling down the entire fish at the side of a swamp in India.
These up-close and personal pictures show a water-dwelling Nilus spider feasting on a fish in West Bengal, India
The images – likely to make any arachnophobe’s skin crawl – show a Nilus spider gobbling down the entire fish at the side of a swamp in India
Photographs of the eight-legged creatures hunting fish are relatively rare because of the difficulty in capturing the exact moment it takes place
The Nilus spider hunts fish by gliding along the water and pouncing on them as they swim by before injecting them with a deadly dose of its venom.
While they are fairly common in India, photographs of the eight-legged creatures hunting fish are relatively rare because of the difficulty in capturing the exact moment it takes place.
Amateur photographer Ripan Biswas, 31, spent the best part of a year waiting by the swamp in the town of Cooch Behar in the Indian state of West Bengal for the perfect photo opportunity, until he took these fascinating pictures.
Mr Biswas, who is a maths and science teacher, said he risked life and limb waiting to photograph the spider.
‘I searched for the spider almost every evening in the knee deep swamp near where I live,’ he said.
‘It can be quite dangerous as snakes dwell in the swamp, so there’s always a chance of being bitten by a snake or a poisonous insect.
‘After one year searching I am so happy that I was able to take some good pictures of this species of spider.’
Dinner time: The Nilus spider hunts fish by gliding along the water and pouncing on them as they swim by
Amateur photographer Ripan Biswas, 31, spent the best part of a year waiting by the swamp in the town of Cooch Behar in the Indian state of West Bengal for the perfect photo opportunity
Mr Biswas, who is a maths and science teacher, said he risked life and limb waiting to photograph the spider
Mr Biswas described the moment the spider captured and killed the fish.
‘This is a Nilus spider,’ he said. ‘There are several species of spiders who hunt fish but a sighting of one actually eating a fish is extremely rare.
‘The spider was very still on the surface of water holding something rigid with its hind legs, when the fish came close enough to strike.
‘To kill the fish, the spider injects it with neurotoxic venom. When the fish was dead, the spider hauled it on to the ground before eating it.
‘I was very close to the spider when I took these photos, only about 4-5 inches away. Spiders allow you close when they catch something.
‘I felt incredible when I saw my photos. I had been trying to capture this moment for so long. This is a lifetime experience and I doubt I will ever see such a thing again.
‘It’s such an unusual and rare sight. How many of us even knew that spiders hunt fish from the water?’
