Simulated Invisibility
Square CropImage details - Simulated Invisibility
Description
During a scientific expedition to the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna during the rainy season, my partner and I passed by a Roystonea regia (royal palm). Suddenly, I felt an object moving quickly from my sight to behind the tree trunk. When I looked behind the tree, I found nothing. At that moment, I began to doubt my own eyes and judgment. Gradually, I discovered a large spider, well-camouflaged against the lichen-encrusted bark. This huntsman spider is named Barylestis saaristoi – and it survives by ambushing its prey.