This signature spider hung above a roadside and Vidyun watched it every weekend for a month, noticing how it regularly rebuilt its web. These spiders are common in his local area in Bangalore, so Vidyun set out to frame this one against the backdrop of an apartment block. He wanted to show how ‘the spider was living among us in my big city’.
Signature spiders decorate their fine webs with zigzags of silken threads, or stabilimenta, which sometimes resemble letters. The spiders build new webs – with different zigzag ‘signatures’ – every day, usually in supportive vegetation, wherever a foothold can be found. The purpose of these ‘signatures’ could be to advertise the traps, deterring birds from crashing through.
India
Vidyun is a keen photographer who loves photographing tiny creatures – spiders in particular – in the streets, parks and gardens near his home in the city of Bengaluru. He first featured in the competition when he was just eight.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.
Killing predators comes with big prize money in the USA. Photographer Karine Aigner goes behind the scenes of contests where hunters win and nature loses.
Read article
Nima Sarikhani’s stunning picture of a sleeping polar bear was crowned 2023's People's Choice.
Read articleDiscover this year's shortlisted images and don't forget to vote for your favourite.
Read article
