PSC

Home

News Center

A Killer Flower

03 September 2007

A Killer Flower
A bee, whose body caught much pollen, is gripped by a giant crab spider.
The spider's color almost exactly matched that of the flower.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist

On the morning of 13 August 2007, BA Senior Astronomy Specialist, Aymen Ibrahem, was exercising wildlife photography, his favorite hobby. Ibrahem recorded a breathtaking scene: a highly camouflaged giant crab spider predating on a bee.

"Crab spiders are difficult to spot, due to their outstanding camouflage," said Ibrahem. "On several occasions, I observed them to attack insects that dwarf them in size." Ibrahem wrote the following brief account of his observation.

"I was observing the bees, butterflies and hoverflies that were feeding on, and pollinating the flowers. I also spotted several crab spiders of various sizes. They were sitting on flowers to ambush the flower-visiting insects. While taking pictures of these spiders, I noticed an unusual insect that seemed to be resting on a flower. By close inspection, I found that it was a dead bee, whose body caught much pollen, grasped tightly by a giant crab spider. The crab spider was so superbly camouflaged that, at first glance, the viewer would have had the impression of observing an exotic insectivorous flower, predating on a bee."

Ibrahem took numerous images, showing amazing details of the predation event. He named his series of photos "A Killer Flower". More pictures are presented in the picture gallery below.

Picture Gallery

Fig (1)
A side view showing the legs of the spider emanating from the flower
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist

Fig (2)
A close-up view
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist

Fig (3)
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist

Fig (4)
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist

BASEF 2023 Program