My image of a nursery web of raft spiderlings (Dolomedes fimbriatus) was shortlisted in the ‘Behaviour: Cold-blooded Animals’ category of the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 competition, run by London’s Natural History Museum, but failed to make it through to the final rounds.

It was fascinating to observe these tiny hatchlings at the edge of a boggy pond as they reacted in unison to potential threats, expanding and contracting in their protective ball.

It would have been interesting to understand a little more about the judging process involved in such a major competition, but feedback was sadly lacking.

Congratulations to The Winners.

Related links:

• More raft spider photos: Raft Spider Life Cycle.