Phidippus Audax

This species of jumping spider is common in North America but few have seen the interesting way they behave. I first purchased my macro lens early this year with the intention of shooting this very spider when I got a chance, it was in my mental wish list of shots I wanted to have this Summer. Fortune came early on Wednesday March 26th 2015. My girlfriend Catherine and I having dinner on the balcony notices this fat little fuzzball lowering itself on its safety line from the ceiling down to the railing as did our youngest Cat Rabbit. I quickly grabbed Rabbit and took him inside before he could pounce on the spider and grabbed a small film roll container to put him in. Our bathroom has the best lighting in the whole apartment so Catherine and I grabbed a small piece of driftwood we have and propped it on the sink countertop against the mirror and I began shooting with with my nikon. The unexpected happened when the spider noticed his reflection in the mirror, Jumping spiders have excellent vision, unlike most of the web building spiders react more to visual cues. He began dancing around with a threat display shooing away his perceived competition encroaching on his territory. It made for a great photo!