Wildlife
Gallery: tiny, beautiful peacock spiders
Australia’s peacock spiders are the most attractive of the world’s more than 5000 species of jumping spider. At a tiny 4–6mm long, they stand out because of their small size, their relatively large eyes and, of course, the male’s dazzling opisthosomal fan. This is a flap on the abdomen covered in bright iridescent scales, which makes it appear similar to a butterfly wing. Here, seasoned spider photographer Jurgen Otto, who’s responsible for finding and recording many of Australia’s peacock spiders, captures their beauty.
