Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus) – Opening up the garden shed and entering one morning I encountered this on one of my garden seat cushions I store in there. A Zebra Spider with quite a catch. It is a Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella), quite a bit larger than the spider, yet taken down. It was probably literally pounced upon, as these are known as jumping spiders, and they do not use webs to catch their prey.
Double-click images for a closer look.
Nature Journeys 
Very exciting, Peter!
A beautiful spider and nice pictures!
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Thank you, Anki! It was exciting!
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Last week, I saw some sort of bee — probably a native — capture and subdue a tiny caterpillar. These glimpses into the food chain are fascinating.
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It does look very much like a zebra!
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Amazing, never seen a zebra spider before 😮
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Thank you. I tend to spot them n the outside of my garage and shed walls as they are searching for prey or mates.
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Is a spider’s method of “eating” to suck the juices from its prey?
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A spider’s feeding process is not for the faint hearted. They can’t chew or swallow food, so after injecting them with posion they then expel digestive enzymes onto their prey which liquifies it so they can indeed suck the juices from it.
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Thanks for the explanation – I knew it had to be something quite unusual!
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You are welcome 🙂
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I remember that, as a boy, zebras provided my first experience with jumping spiders. I was fascinated immediately, and I never lost that fascination. They are one of my three favorites (the other two are Trite planiceps and Phidippus audax).
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Dramatic shots, Pete. Nicely done!
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Thank you, Belinda! It was quite a drama.
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Spiders are quite capable of taking and controlling insects much larger than themselves.
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Its amazing how potent their venom can be.
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Don’t get on the wrong side of a zebra spider’s stripes if it can take down food of that size difference.
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