When I came upon this scene this afternoon I couldn’t help but think of some blog posts that I had read recently. Steven Schwartzman had a beautiful artistic image of a damselfly caught in a spider’s web entitled “Three Orbs, Three Colors.” Daniel Proud had a wonderfully informative Four part series on Harvestmen (Daddy Longlegs) in late July that included colorful images of different harvestmen. Both of those bloggers caused me to be much more attentive today as I took in my surroundings during a nature walk at a local marsh.
I managed to capture an image of the spider moving in on his captured prey, a daddy longlegs, that had become stuck in the spider’s web. Some may find the photo to be a little disturbing, but to me it is a simple fact of natural life.
Shortly after taking this photo, I moved in a little closer and must have disturbed the web. The spider quickly climbed up the web and took refuge inside the curled-up leaf. I waited for quite some time but the spider did not reappear.
I think the daddylongs was still alive when I left him, but his prospects do not appear to be good.
Caught in the web
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
This is a really interesting post, Mike. The spider appears to be biting a joint in the harvestman’s leg–a tactic I believe I have seen before–before closing in on the body, which is about equal in size to its own. I’m sure you’re right about the victim’s prospects, though; those long legs can surely be a distinct disadvantage at times.
I hadn’t really noticed that the spider was chewing on a leg. Thanks for drawing my attention to that detail.
I’ve sometimes seen a spider that has subdued prey quite a bit larger than it is. The spider’s web is a big asset, because the victim can’t run away.