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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
3 comments

Spot the Spider

Can you spot the spider in this pic? 



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? 

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Location: Abbi Falls, Hebbettageri, Karnataka 571201, India

Comments

  1. R Niranjan DasJune 30, 2013 at 3:18 PM

    That is a lovely capture.

    http://www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  2. NishaJune 30, 2013 at 7:39 PM

    Till I scrolled down, I had no idea where the spider was.

    Yeah, I know he's better than you in spotting these things. :-)

    Jokes apart, nicely captured Anu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 1, 2013 at 7:19 PM

      THanks Nisha! he is getting even better at spotting these tiny creatures!

      Delete
  3. chitraJune 30, 2013 at 8:50 PM

    Anu, is that a big sized one or small? when you zoomed it appears huge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 1, 2013 at 7:22 PM

      It 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.

      Delete
  4. MarieJuly 1, 2013 at 4:43 AM

    Here 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 1, 2013 at 7:24 PM

      Its 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..

      Delete
  5. SoulSpaceJuly 1, 2013 at 9:32 AM

    I think it could be the Lycosidae/ Wolf Spider
    http://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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 1, 2013 at 7:27 PM

      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.

      Delete
  6. Bhavesh ChhatbarJuly 1, 2013 at 9:51 AM

    That is awesome, Anuradha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bindhu UnnyJuly 1, 2013 at 10:09 AM

    In the first photo, I thought it is a tiny spider; I didn't notice it's legs. A hairy, scary one! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 1, 2013 at 7:28 PM

      Yes, 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!

      Delete
  8. ManishJuly 3, 2013 at 11:36 AM

    Nice click but it ws easy for me to spot the spider but the closer look shows how cruel it looks...

    ReplyDelete
  9. SusanneJuly 4, 2013 at 5:09 AM

    Oh goodness, that's a freaking scary spider! Is it as big as it looks? A very beautiful creature though!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Veneer Pressing MachineJuly 17, 2013 at 10:54 AM

    Awesome post, thanks for sharing.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Developers in Sinhagad RoadNovember 29, 2013 at 3:42 PM

    Great post..

    ReplyDelete

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