In Australia there's a spider known as Thwaitesia argentiopunctata, a/k/a the Mirror Spider. Apparently they have cousins in Southeast Asia as well, as photographer Nicky Bay has been shooting them in his home city-state of Singapore. Writes Bay:
For several years, I have been observing the odd behavior of the Mirror Spider (Thwaitesia sp.) where the "silver-plates" on the abdomen seem to shrink when the spider is agitated (or perhaps threatened), revealing the actual abdomen.
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Enter a caption (optional)At rest, the silver plates expand and the spaces between the plates close up to become an almost uniform reflective surface.
Enter a caption (optional)You can see more shots of this supremely creepy bug—which, if you ask me, should really be called the Disco Ball Spider—here.
Enter a caption (optional)Via Colossal
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