Plush Spider

The cephalothorax of this Argiope bruennichi (photographed in de Hekslootpolder in Haarlem --the Netherlands ) looks nice and fuzzy, like I'd expect it to. But that abdomen, it looks so soft, almost like a plush stuffed animal. I almost want to touch it.

But I know that's just what she wants of me, to lure me in so she can strike, wrap me up in a cocoon, and transform me into a living zombie so that her offspring can feast upon me when they hatch. Either that, or she'd skitter away if I got to close and hide in the shadows. One of the two.

Photo source: Ge van 't Hoff