Maria Sibylla Merian, the Bird-eating Spider, and the Bridge of Ants
A ground-breaking naturalist in South America
5 min readNov 11, 2021
It is a striking image. A large spider pins down a hummingbird it has caught near a nest in a guava tree. The hummingbird has the yellow throat, red cap, and iridescent wings of a male Ruby Topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus). The spider is charcoal, with a bronze abdomen, and…
