Ripan was photographing a red weaver ant colony when he spotted this slightly strange individual. It may have the face of an ant but its eight legs give it away – on closer inspection Ripan discovered that it was an ant-mimicking crab spider. By reverse mounting his lens, Ripan converted it to a macro capable of taking extreme close-ups.
Many spider species imitate ants in appearance and behaviour. Infiltrating an ant colony can help them prey on unsuspecting ants or avoid being eaten by predators that dislike ants. This particular spider, says Ripan, seemed to be roaming around the colony, looking for a solitary ant that it could grab for a meal.
India
Ripan has been inspired by nature since childhood - the life and death of a grasshopper, the flashing green hue of a bee-eater and the sound of crushing dry leaves on a forest floor always enthralled him. His work focuses on insect macro photography, and he would like to spread awareness about the natural world through his images.
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