The sperm is deposited inside the female spider's
epigynum, an opening situated on the underside of her
abdomen. The interesting thing is that the female spider
can keep the sperm in a special container until she
decides when it's time to lay her eggs. After she has
laid the eggs she wraps them in some strands of silk and
carries the package in her chelicera ('jaws')
The macro pictures on these pages are made with a special 3D macro camera designed and built by my friend Ton Pennings. It is a single-lens camera with two diaphragms. A set of mirrors separates the two images so the result is two images in stereo on one film. An unusual design of camera that makes it possible to shoot these small creatures alive in three dimensions.
