Photographer Page

Javier Aznar

All spiders produce silk, but only about half of spiders spin webs. This ogre-faced spider (Deinopis sp.) in Loracachi, Ecuador, shows an alternate strategy for catching food with its silken net, which it casts at insects as they flutter past.

An arboreal tarantula (Avicularia sp.) waits for dinner to wander by in Yasuní, Ecuador. Aznar remembers seeing the same spider in the same place, night after night.

A wandering spider (family Ctenidae) tucks into a katydid on the forest floor near Yasuní, Ecuador. Spider bites from this species are dangerous yet rarely fatal because of the small quantity of venom injected and available antivenom treatments.

In Madrid, Spain, a female crab spider (Misumena vatia) feasts on a katydid as a much smaller male crab spider of another species (Thomisus onustus) perches on her abdomen. While it is common for a male crab spider to sit on a female before mating, scientists say it is rare to spot this among different species.

A growing spider in La Maná, Ecuador, casts off its exoskeleton in a process known as molting. This is a perilous time for the spider, because it requires a lot of energy and makes the spider vulnerable to predators.

This tarantula’s striking defensive pose warned the photographer to stay back. He discovered the spider while hiking through the jungle at night in La Maná, Ecuador.

Suspended by a thread of silk, a thorned heart orb weaver spider (Micrathena clypeata) builds her egg case in the Amazon rainforest near Tena, Ecuador.

A bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax) rests atop a finger in Dallas, Texas. These spiders have iridescent colorations on their jaws and an inquisitive nature. They don’t spin webs but rather seize prey by ambush.

A rarely seen crab spider (Onocolus sp.) blends into the foliage in the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve in Ecuador.

Spiny-backed orb weavers like this Gasteracantha cancriformis may look particularly devilish, but their venom poses no serious threat to humans.