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A Spider's Diet


A Spider's Diet
Photo Information
Copyright: Bente Feldballe (milloup) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 538 W: 48 N: 628] (1704)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-09-06
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR, Hama Close-up +2
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/200 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-01-07 18:14
Viewed: 7724
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
An interesting bit of scientific news read in the paper today brought me to remember this photo.
She's a European garden spider Araneus diadematus - a close relative of the Araneus quadratus shown in this photo - sitting in her web enjoying her breakfast (one juicy fly) on a sunny September morning. Actual size app. 1 cm across the back.
Now, the news that I read was about spiders and beetles being capable of selecting for themselves a balanced diet containing the right amounts of fats and proteins. Tests with spiders and beetles carried out at the Universities of Aarhus (Denmark) and Oxford (England) show that if you feed the beasts with banana flies which have been somehow manipulated to contain larger or smaller amounts of fats and proteins, the beasties will change their eating pattern in various ways so as to get the best balanced diet available. The beetles used in the experiments were all predatory, and given a choice of various preys they'd mix the available foods just like we do when selecting our food from a buffet offering a choice of foods.
Until now scientists have believed, that given the fact that predators have to catch and kill their prey and that food often is in short supply, predators wouldn't be very interested in or likely to balance the nutrients they eat. The assumption was that with food scarce, they couldn't afford to be choosy. However, these new experiments suggest that in situations where food is abundant, predators *will* choose "healthy food" and that even in periods where food is in short supply will they make a choice of what to eat first.
The scientists have now moved the focus of their research onto larger predators, and they're convinced that the same pattern will apply to these.
Treatment: Crop, Contrast +10, Brightness +10, Saturation +10, USM and resize.
Callie, JeanMichel, willie, Lesley, gerhardt, Luc has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Bente
One really very interesting note, TFS.
As for the lady, she is beautiful and captrued her in all her glory, even down to the left foot testing, testing it seems.
And thanks also fro being a sport, Japie Enjoyed the driving, and he responded, I see!

Composition: ***
Sharpness: ****
Color: ***
DOF: ***
POV: ***

Nice macro, it could've been good to clone-out the trace on the right .
TFS.

Your note is very interesting, Bente. Interesting and thrilling work scientists do about animal behaviour. These tiny critters have a lot to say! The shot is excellent (orbiteles are my favorite spiders for photography). Shown like this, floating in the air as your "father or food" is a very good way to bring the subject in front. Perfect DOF, very good light and colors.

  • Great 
  • willie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1023 W: 61 N: 648] (2083)
  • [2005-01-08 13:15]

Stunning macro Bente. 10 out of 10 allround. Good work

  • Great 
  • Lesley Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 13 N: 913] (2988)
  • [2005-01-08 13:52]

Stunning capture, Bente! Everything about it is just perfect. The plain BG showcases your spider and allows all attention to be on it. Great note too...ashame us Americans don't subscribe to that healthy diet concept! :0) We eat all the wrong things.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16856)
  • [2005-01-08 19:42]

Bente, excellent PP and great note. The shot is great too, with a nice composition and POV.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-01-09 3:00]

The say that you get a big but from eating too many male as well - I see that it is true :)

The sharpness is excellent and the colors great, she must have spent hours in front of the mirror.

The composition is very good as well.

Excellent job and thanks for posting

What an interesting read supported by this excellent spider capture. The details are tack sharp and the colours shows so nicely in the light. Love this post. Thanx Bente.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 315 N: 4404] (14713)
  • [2005-01-11 11:27]

As TN was enlarged from day to day, Bente, we have to choose among a multitude of photos those which we are going to criticize.
Among these last ones, there is which are more nourishing than the others. This one is one, very nourishing for my mind and interesting to look also.
I thank you for feeding. I hope not to become obese sampling your posts ;-).

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