I love how they still can't quite shake off their adorable spider-like movements

@CosmicPersephone

3 жыл бұрын

Jumping spiders are perfect

This definitely inspired me to take a closer look at ants, maybe I’ll also spot some mimics

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

double-check ALL the ants :)

@potatowithdepresso2705

3 жыл бұрын

I found one today lel

@VicturdLovesTurtles

Жыл бұрын

​@@terser idk how to tell if its a ant or spider

I have shot a bunch of spiders but never even thought that they can be mimicking some other insect... this is mind blowing.

1st time i saw an ant mimic it blew my mind. I saw it glides from leaf to leaf slowly.. I thought how? Then i took a closer look, this guy has 6 eyes!

@peterviragphoto

3 жыл бұрын

Haha same experience for me!:))

I never knew this existed. I love jumping spiders though I have arachnophobia so have a strange relationship with spiders overall. This video blew my mind. Thank you sooo much! I cannot wait to find some!

Tomorrow is my exam and what a stress breaker I received right now! You've always been my inspiration :)

Great film. I love the way you show that there is so much to discover in the natural world.

I happened to see an ant mimic jumper in my northeast Ohio backyard and wondered why they would camouflage that way. This video was the answer I was looking for! Thank you.

An amazing format of video. Love it, especially bringing in specialists to talk about the star of the show. Always looking forward to your postings. Time to go back out and see how many Jumpers the UK have hidden away. Funny how humans anthropomorphise 'small eyes' into 'cute' though - instead of into 'amazingly adapted stalkers and stealth-predators'

Man I love spiders. I had no idea jumping spiders like this existed! So cool

Great video, very informative and thought provoking.

All the time that we're enjoying the natural history details, the calm narration, and the excellent production values, it's far too easy to take for granted the amazing macro images Thomas keeps presenting to us. It's so pleasing when the subject that we love - macro photography - is combined with a purpose, telling a story, rather than becoming overly concerned with equipment specs and technicalities. Great video. "Yay!" ---- 🐜

I've seen 3 or 4 different types of ant mimicing spiders in my area. One of them was of the genus myrmarachne, i couldn't identify others but they are really fun to watch!

@flinchfu

3 жыл бұрын

They're literally everywhere. God knows how many species of them... Keep your eyes peeled and you might notice some. A little "ant" hopping and repelling from silk is a dead givaway.

@peterviragphoto

3 жыл бұрын

I have seen only a couple of Myrmarachne species in our area so far. At least got one series of shots I was relatively happy with.😀

Just found your account from a macro lens reddit thread that was made two years ago lol. Love your stuff, keep it up!

I’m amazed that I have probably looked straight at a spider and mistook it for an ant. Living in Oklahoma I never expected to find anything that amazing here in my own back yard.

The most wholesome channel on KZread.

Wow this was an awesome video!! Thank you for taking the time to make and share this. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for these little incognito spies 😂

Incredible video Thomas! so much effort and valuable information put in. Absolutely gorgeous shots too. I learned a lot!

Stunning photography, as always! Will keep an eye out for those curious mimics.

I just love your videos. The stories you tell but especially the love for the animals you take photos of. And I have to admit I was very excited when you suggested an ID for a jumping spider I posted a photo of on inaturalist, thank you and the best regards from Mexico!

Ahhhhhh this video makes me happy. Excellent shots, and commentary from you and Alexis. I shoot ant mimics as often as I can and I'm always looking for them. ❤️

So happy to get another video from you! Have been looking forward to it for months :)

INCREDIBLE! Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for the filming, discussion, and production.

A Modest Proposal: a cross-over vid with the "Crime Pays, Botany Doesn't" channel would be super-watchable. Edit.....your beautiful photography is WAY outta Tony's league, but his commentary on plants is, ummmm, unique. Best of both.

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Just subscribed to his channel (didn't know about him!)

Amazing video. I always get stoked when i see you post a new video. Very informative

Really amazing video, I've been fortunate enough to start finding Synemosyna and Peckhamia sp. around on the side of my house and on my car but I rarely can find them out in the field, and they always manage to get away from me when I do. Really happy to see you made a video discussing them, they definitely deserve it.

@peterviragphoto

3 жыл бұрын

Hey. Have you got any pics of them on e.g. Insta? Would love to see. Cheers.

What a great video- many thanks for your efforts, Thomas! Ain’t nature simply astonishing!!

Just an amazing video Thomas. Love your channel and content. Keep it up man, cheers from sweden!

Great video Thomas. I've always loved your videos and this one is another great addition. So fascinating thank you for sharing

This is absolutely fascinating.

The first time I saw one I almost just walked by then had a closer look and was mesmerised instantly. Unfortunately have only seen & captured images of another species once since but hoping to discover more as soon as the warmer season starts here Downunder. Amazing video mate, super enjoyable & so much background info. Cheers:)

What an incredible video! Better than almost anything I've seen on tv ... thank you so much! Greetings from Germany.

Fantastic! Welcome back - such an enjoyable video…

Always super informative and brilliant photography and video to boot.

Hats off Sir , Mimics are just beautiful and cute for me just as a regular jumping spider. I will show this video to everyone who asks me, 'what's there in macro photography?'. Loved every bit of it. thanks for this, one of the best macrophotography videos I have come across so far.

This video is epic. Amazing work Thomas 🙌💚

This is fantastic! The inclusion of natural history and scientific background provided by Alexis paired with your imagery is gold! Would love to see more content following a similar format :)

Excellent commentary and fantastic photography. Thanks!

I’ll be honest, until recently I liked neither ants or spiders of any kind. But now getting into macro photography EVERYTHING is interesting! I certainly never knew about mimicry on this scale. It’s utterly absorbing studying it. Thank you for this video, for someone who has lived on this planet for 56 years it’s a joy to discover something new to study and photograph….

Amazing work! I enjoyed watching your video with your calming voice. :)

Your videos are a pleasure to watch and your voice is so soothing! I too adore jumping spiders, having grown up with them in a country home in Illinois. I'm certain I've seen ant mimics... I don't think I knew what I was looking at! I garden and vow to pay more attention in future. Thank you for posting these!

Always learn something new from you and on this occasion your guest as well thank you for the education guys

I love your videos. Makes me appreciate and respect nature so much more.

This is my new favourite among your videos! Your channel has been the main reason I rediscovered my love for spiders and insects and bought myself a macro rig that combined with jumping spiders in particular has been one of the greatest sources of joy and wonder in my life. I love all your videos, but this one is especially good, I'd love to see more like it! It's great to hear such specific expertise from Dodson alongside your usual excellent photos, videos and general discussion! After the pandemic is no longer a concern it'd be amazing to see your shots and / or videos looking at 'Peacock' Spiders here in Australia! The season in generally September to October and there are many photographers and amateur arachnologists who I'm sure would be more than willing to point you in the direction of some good spots and times to find them. Just a thought - if you're ever planning to travel to or near Australia in the season I think you'd get a real kick out of the wonders of the genus Maratus :) We do have a few nice Ant Mimics I'm aware of too, but I think they can be found year long. On a different note I haven't noticed that 'crinkly' look in the eyes of any Ant Mimics I've seen, but I have seen it in a lot of 'Peacock' Spiders like this Maratus plumosus www.flickr.com/photos/184691120@N08/50520455222/in/dateposted-public/ and this Maratus velutinus www.flickr.com/photos/184691120@N08/50445651402/in/dateposted-public/ . I'm not sure what it is or why it appears that way, but I'd love to know if you ever find out any more on that topic!

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much - glad you enjoyed it! And yes, a long-standing dream of going to Australia to look for salticids (yes, Maratus of course!) exists in me, but... covid, money, time, etc... :/ Thanks for links - beautiful photos - beautiful jumpers!

Thomas, this video was gorgeous!! And super informative

Fascinating! I had the good luck to observe a species of ant-mimicking jumping spider here in Wells, Maine. I wasn't sure what I was seeing at first, but quickly realized it was an actual spider. I had never heard of this mimickry before.

Love this format, themed around a concept rather than a single place or expedition, with an expert interview.

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sam! Was honestly a bit of a struggle to put together so I'm glad to hear you like the format. I had a hard time coalescing all my thoughts until doing the interview. Might try more videos in this vein - I have too much Phidippus/Paraphidippus footage and thoughts I need to do something with...

Brilliant, Thomas. Great work😃

Thanks for such an inspiring and interesting video! It instantly makes me want to go outside and find native ant mimicking organisms.

finally a video of my favorite spiders, thank you so much

That was soooo interesting!! Going to start looking closer at everything - never know what you might find!

A great distraction from the craziness of the world right now. A reminder that bugs care not about Covid, nor finance, nor supply chain metrics. Thanks Thomas.

Wonderful source of information, Thomas, thank you for sharing! Your work is always such an inspiration to me, keep these videos coming! :) Cheers!

@peterviragphoto

3 жыл бұрын

Couldn’t agree more!😊

Thanks for sharing this incredible explanation of ant mimicry in jumping ants. I love spotting these spiders with my preschool students. While observing with a child, I witnessed a jumping spider pounce in its prey. I’ll be in the lookout now for any ant-mimics in my neighborhood…when the weather gets warmer!

I also started paying closer attention to ants in 2019 when I noticed my first ant-mimic. It's impressive how closely the impostors mimic their local ants, here we have Myrmarachne and Myrmaplata that are perfect copies of Oecophylla; Toxeus that mimics Camponotus, etc. Sometimes I only realized they weren't ants after I took some photos because they move just like the ants they mimic.

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Same! Last summer I was sure I had found *the* model ant for Synemosyna only to realize it was just Synemosyna again after taking photos...

A wonderful and fascinating insight. This is far more engaging and interesting than many of the run of the mill nature programmes on T.V. Defo worthy of a commission!

I love your photos of jumping spiders. I continually find them on my kitchen window, most likely because that’s the sunniest spot in my house. I have kept a few of them as my “little friends”, not pets. I have subscribed to your channel because your pictures are phenomenal! 👍💯🙏🏼🫶🏼🦋🕷💜🇨🇦

Thank you so much Thomas! You made my day

Fantastic, thoughtful video. Thanks for making this!

Had no idea about birds selectively going after spiders because of their taurine content helping baby birds develop... fascinating! Great video.

🎵The ant mimics, more than meets the eye. Spiders that hide in plain sight to avoid the evil forces of their predators. The ant mimics, spiders in disguise. The ant mimics, more than meets the eye. The ant mimics!🎵

Your channel and videos have given me a genuine affection for spiders (growing up they revolted me) and kindled what has become a passion for macro photography. I really, really, appreciate the informative and visually beautiful content you produce and share with us.

Wonderful! Thank you for your wonderful presentation

Great info and photos, thanks! 🕷️💯🐜

What a great video! Thank you for this.

Ooooh can't wait to watch this later! *Edit - that was great, really enjoyed it Thomas!

Very cool review of those interesting and beautiful spiders. Most amazing to me was the mimicry of Cephalotes ants by the salticid. Thanks.

Great video and interview. I love taking pics of them here in OKC in the spring, but I’ve always thought they were all peckhamia. I’ll have to look closer next time.

awesome video. I've been watching this channel since it had guitars on it, but spiders are just as fun.

Fantastic video! Mimicry is so interesting

Really excellent video. Thank you!

"Why hello there fellow ants"

This was truly awesome Thomas, my two all-time favorite insects , ants are just amazing I have watched every ant video on KZread I have never seen one with ridges like the first one you showed , is that a new species? Thanks for going places that most of us can never go and showing us these amazing little guys , just fabulous..

@ash1eyrose

Жыл бұрын

I’m assuming you probably watch Ants Canada? What are some other good ant channels you recommend, if you don’t mind sharing? Thanks

My two favorite invertebrates are jumping spiders and ants so it’s always cool to see jumping spider ant mimics

Interesting! Thank you, Thomas.

For me it's not just their fuzzy butt and big inquisitive eyes, but their personality.. the way they look up at you and their seemingly never ending fascination with us. Precious and intelligent

Wonderful documentation!

"You can kind of fall into a trance while bug hunting" ... "I've taken ants for granted in my past..." So much to see and learn from the peaceful observations of Thomas Shahan!

What a wonderful video!

Very nice! I’ve been photographing Peckhamias out at Lake Hefner.

Love this buddy, ive seen a few mimics of this kind, the nicest was in Sri Lanka on a green leaf nest building ant colony so cool, great vid !!!

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Ooh - jealous, Sri Lanka has some amazing spiders!

@JPLamoureuxsTravels

3 жыл бұрын

@@terser its amazing for wildlife all round! thanks for sharing this fascinating subject with us bud, keep up your amazing videos i know how much hard work it takes from my little piddly channel lol 😂 .... JP

This is mindblowing.

I’m curious whether people with arachnophobia could feel anything looking at a spider that looks extremely similar to an ant

Just one alone can show us wonders when we are in nature. Want to see you again out in the field doing macro photography.

Great video!! Just discovered their existence and had to look up info, perfect video

Only a comment. Very beautiful overview. I often get lost in the taxonomy and comparison amongst related species of creatures, i.e. within a genus, family etc, but the world works in relation to the environment and other diverse creatures which co-exist in a zone, this overview really highlighted to me how those others can be vitally important, so thankyou. We perhaps need to think how new species introduced by humans to those zones of such creatures then affects such dynamics.

Wow, what a cool jumper!

Very interesting video as usual.

my favourite non-jumper ant-mimic would be the Southeast Asian members of the Castianeirinae sub-family, under the Corinnidae family (yes I know they're yet to be properly described but I'm gonna use it), especially the Corinnomma genus. They really look like the Myrmarachne too.

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

Wow! Just looked up Corinnomma - beautiful! Love Corinnids! Had to sneak a local Castianeira in there (bottom center @19:02 )

@eyeballpapercut4400

3 жыл бұрын

@@terser a handful of Castianeira here in Southeast Asia got moved to Corinnomma BTW, eg Castianeira tiranglupa to Corinnomma severum. You can read more in the book Forest Spiders of Southeast Asia by Christa L. Deeleman-Reinhold, published 2001. I haven't read if any Castianeira outside of SEA has also been moved.

@eyeballpapercut4400

3 жыл бұрын

@@terser what's that at bottom right tho

@terser

3 жыл бұрын

@@eyeballpapercut4400 A gnaphosid I think - maybe Micaria? www.inaturalist.org/observations/61181457

Sorry, but I wouldn't describe mimicry as a (conscious) strategy... it's rather the whims and variations of evolution that have led to these excellently camouflaged forms of appearance - which have survived and prevailed over others. By the way: fantastic job! I'm just starting out with macro photography and wish we had so many interesting shapes here and I had your knowledge. Always super interesting, your videos, that amaze me every time! Thanks for that!

Fantastic video!

Just dazzling photography, loved the talks on why this has evolved the way they have. Question: how do these spiders know on what to pick up on, how do these traits evolve? Thanks Thomas and Alexis

@StupidLittleYTName

3 жыл бұрын

I think it’s less what they “know”, and more so how they’ve evolved due to natural selection. The ones who had more ant-like traits are the ones who survived and were able to breed future generations.

thank you!

This is amazing

A great video! 👍

Fantastic work! I was fully engaged from start to finish. We've got one (or maybe more?) Synageles sp. where I live. Still have not managed to track it down yet.

@T-Barbin

3 жыл бұрын

I also like your custom Laowa hotshoe mount. Do they sell those?!

So cool!! 😀

A whole new dimension on the world's cutest spider family!

What a lovely video. I'm well hooked, especially as I'm very fond of my own arachnid crewmates, who work tirelessly and mostly unseen to rid my home of 'gurrie-gurries' (insect pests).

Very interesting thank you !