ON A recent visit to the island of Borneo, photographer Nick Garbutt found this dead spider just outside the field camp, its body seemingly in perfect condition. 鈥淚鈥檝e no idea why the spider died,鈥� he says.
Having come across many other dead animals being dismembered by ants on the island, he saw an opportunity to record the process. Garbutt placed the spider, which including its legs was about the size of his palm, on a piece of paper. Then he took this series of photographs over 4 hours as ants broke it into pieces.
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All the action took place in Danum valley, a protected area Garbutt regularly visits that is a haven for wildlife, including orangutans, pygmy elephants and maroon langurs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of my favourite places on the planet,鈥� he says.
Garbutt doesn鈥檛 know to which species the spider or the ants belong.
Photographer
Nick Garbutt
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淒ismembered in slo-mo鈥�
