Spider in Baltic Amber

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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Walter Piorkowski
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Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:42 pm
Location: South Beloit, Ill

Spider in Baltic Amber

Post by Walter Piorkowski »

Image

Image


Spider in Baltic Amber

What does a 40 million year old spider look like? Remarkably the same as the spiders we see today. My analysis sees a full abdomen, indicating a actively feeding subject at death. Death would have been by asphyxiation. Note a fog and many small bubbles in the amber under the abdomen. I believe this to be the last exhalations of air from the book lungs in that location.

Luckily two air bubbles left the legs and carapace before solidification. Some nice details can be seen though the amber. The spiked circular thing in front of the mouth area is just the face on view of the second pedipalp tarsal segment. The spinnerets show up well but unfortunately, I can detect no silk drag line. One large silk spigot is visible. There are good details in the leg segments and claws. Unfortunately, there are no details of the chelicerae.
Walt

53 images stacked on both images, each using different lighting. Amber in air.
Both images 9x on camera sensor. 6.3x objective. Horizontal F.O.V. approx. 2mm
Canon 50D on Leitz Ortholux microscope.
Zerene and Photoshop processing

Sumguy01
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Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:05 pm
Location: Ketchikan Alaska USA

Post by Sumguy01 »

:D Interesting.
Thanks for sharing.

Walter Piorkowski
Posts: 693
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:42 pm
Location: South Beloit, Ill

Post by Walter Piorkowski »

Thank you. Sumguy. Walt

carlos.uruguay
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Post by carlos.uruguay »

Super!

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