Javier crouched down and the gleaming black eyes of a Spanish tarantula peeped out from the entrance to her lair. Her appearance was fleeting, but just long enough for Javier to capture this handsome portrait, which he hopes will ‘change some people’s minds about these spiders’.
Not a true tarantula, this spider is actually a type of wolf spider. Her leafy burrow is knotted together with silk. Vibrations at the burrow entrance are transmitted to her along these strands so she can dart out and capture passing insects. With a mottled colour she blends in beautifully, well camouflaged against the leaf litter.
Spain
Javier is a Spanish biologist and wildlife and conservation photographer who focuses on the natural history, science and conservation of smaller animals. He is an Emerging League Photographer at the International League of Conservation Photographers and believes that the power of photography can be used to help conserve our planet and the animals and plants that live on it.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.
