The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
Can you spot the spider in this pic?
Take a closer look. Here it is...
And here it is, in all detail..
I am no expert on arachnids, and I have no idea of what this spider is called. We have flipped through what few books we have, and browsed through numerous photos through Google, but are unable to fix on the identity of this little fellow. Can any of you help us out?
Take a closer look. Here it is...
And here it is, in all detail..
We spotted this spider at Abbey Falls, while on our trip to Coorg... or, to be accurate, Samhith did. While poking around bushes isnt what I would like him to do, I have to admit to a certain amount of pleasure in seeing him spot such tiny creatures, and see him take an interest in anything related to nature.
I am no expert on arachnids, and I have no idea of what this spider is called. We have flipped through what few books we have, and browsed through numerous photos through Google, but are unable to fix on the identity of this little fellow. Can any of you help us out?
That is a lovely capture.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in
Thank you, Niranjan!
DeleteTill I scrolled down, I had no idea where the spider was.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know he's better than you in spotting these things. :-)
Jokes apart, nicely captured Anu.
THanks Nisha! he is getting even better at spotting these tiny creatures!
DeleteAnu, is that a big sized one or small? when you zoomed it appears huge.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite small, Chitra... and the zoomed pic was clicked with the macro mode of my camera. so yes, it does appear bigger. also, you can only see the legs, which are quite long, on the zoom, which makes it appear even bigger.
DeleteHere is one that looks the same! He calls it a "tunnel web spider" but I think that is a general term for those who make that particular type of web (ie. not the scientific name)because we also have "tunnel web spiders" in New Zealand and they are nothing like this. http://www.indiamike.com/india-images/pictures/tunnel-web-spider
ReplyDeleteIts quite possible, Marie. We have seen tunnel or funnel web spiders before, and they looked different. But then, yes, its the type of web... and this spider does look similar. thanks for pointing me to this..
DeleteI think it could be the Lycosidae/ Wolf Spider
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider
Because of its prominent eyes and i think i can see 4 more below..and the wolf spider apparently has 8
Thanks Sowmya. I considered this one too while trying to identify it, and wished I had taken the time to click a few more pics.
DeleteThat is awesome, Anuradha!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhavesh!
DeleteIn the first photo, I thought it is a tiny spider; I didn't notice it's legs. A hairy, scary one! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Bindhu! I missed the legs too at first! it was only when I got the close up shot that I even realised it had those, hairy, scary legs!
DeleteNice click but it ws easy for me to spot the spider but the closer look shows how cruel it looks...
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, that's a freaking scary spider! Is it as big as it looks? A very beautiful creature though!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, thanks for sharing.....
ReplyDeleteGreat post..
ReplyDelete