I found this little vignette on the screen of our living room sliding glass door.
In case you’re having trouble telling, this is a spider eating an ant. I am pretty sure the ant is a carpenter ant. It’s nearly a quarter of an inch long. I’m not sure what the spider is, but I think some type of jumping spider, possibly a tan jumping spider. It’s pretty obvious that it’s not a spider that captures its food in a web.
Here it has turned the ant around.
The ant was moving a little in an earlier shot, so I think it must have been caught close to the time I saw it.
I have seen a couple of carpenter ants around the house, so I was happy to see something preying on one.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually caught a jumping spider in the act of eating something. Carpenter ants are a great choice. I’m pretty sure you’re right about it being a jumping spider.
Check out twin-flagged jumping spider, which seems to specialize on ants. It’s the most common one I see around here. They seem so friendly.
Wayne — Yes, it does look like a twin-flagged jumping spider. I looked at what seemed to be a pretty comprehensive listing of bugs but I must have missed that one.