Spiders are among the craftiest and most beautiful of arthropods, entirely undeserving of their maligned reputation. Some signal their presence with massive horns or brilliant colors, others attempt to blend into the scenery. Many spin intricate traps of sticky silk, but some chase their prey -- or ambush it, bursting out of burrows hidden beneath Earth's surface. Some spiders are solitary, watching over trembling webs and waiting for the day when they can mate and cannibalize their partner. Others live in colonies, dividing chores among hundreds of individuals. Some spiders are as big as your face -- others can be mistaken for dewdrops. Hanging from the corners of the world, or tucked into its creases, is a dazzling array of arachnids, mostly going about their lives with little notice from us humans. But some are lucky enough to find themselves in front of photographer Nicky Bay's lens. Based in Singapore, Bay specializes in macrophotography -- or taking super close-up images of tiny things. Trekking through the region's forests or poking around parks at night have brought him face-to-face with some of the most bizarre and beautiful spiders we've ever seen. Now, he's captured thousands of marvelous images that highlight a diverse and incredible world that's too easily overlooked. "Macro photography opens a window to the micro world, which exists all around us," said Bay, shown shooting robberflies on a beach. "Looking up close can often reveal many surprises." Here are some of our favorites. All photos copyright Nicky Bay; please contact him for rights to reuse. Many thanks to Joe Lapp, aka SpiderJoe, who pointed us to Nicky Bay's work. Above, and left: Long Horned Orb Weaver Macracantha arcuata Singapore, April 2013 This is easily one of the craziest-looking spiders we've seen, with massive horns of dubious purpose. "Mother of all spiny spiders!" Bay said. "I have yet to find out the actual purpose of such horns, but I would guess that they serve to make her look more intimidating to potential predators." Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Mirror Spider Thwaitesia sp. Singapore, July 2013 Wow. WOW. On July 12, Bay captured this shimmering spider as it transformed itself from a somewhat rhinestone-studded arachnid (right) into a solid wall of spider mirror (below). The shiny, reflective patches on this spider’s abdomen may be produced by guanine crystals, which can be a source of structural color in arthropods. Also commonly referred to as a “sequined” spider, the arachnid is a member of the Thwaitesia genus. In a post on his website, Bay described how the shiny patches were initially quite small, perhaps because the spider was agitated. But as it chilled out, the spider's mirrored patches grew and grew, eventually forming a mesh of beautiful silver cells.



Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Bird Dung Spider Pasilobus sp. Singapore, July 2013 What if your greatest achievement was looking like the most realistic pile of bird poo ever to crawl the earth? You’d be this spider, which spends its life happily looking like excrement. "This spider does a perfect mimic of bird dung during the day," Bay said. "By night, it constructs a large silk structure, lined with sticky droplets, to catch prey." A member of the Pasilobus genus, the spider pictured above has evolved to represent one of the darker dung varieties. Its cousins, with a similarly crusty, armored abdomen, mimic lighter forms of poo -- except under UV light (shown below), when the spiders glow an eerie, brilliant blue.

Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Twig Spider Ariamnes flagellum Singapore, April 2012 What looks like a green bean hanging out with a seed pod is actually a female Ariamnes flagellum tending to her egg sac. With their long, gracefully curving abdomens, these whip spiders are masters of camouflage: When needed, they stretch themselves out and do their best to mimic twigs and the curling tendrils of growing plants. "Any insect trying to land on it would be in for a surprise," Bay said. We wish these guys were bigger. From end to end, they're barely as wide as a quarter.

Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Ladybird Mimic Paraplectana sp. Singapore, June 2011 If you can’t look like a twig, maybe resembling a ladybird is the way to go. Or has this spider been thinking too much about mushrooms? Bay thinks this adorable little arthropod is a member of the Paraplectana genus, and mimics foul-tasting ladybirds to avoid predation. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Eight-Spotted Crab Spider Platythomisus octomaculatus Singapore, January 2013 Platythomisus octomaculatus, one of the largest crab spiders at more than an inch across, is dressing up as a honeybee wearing black knee-socks for Halloween. It should knock on doors and demand candy from strangers. Or something. Where's the eighth spot? On the spider's belly. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Net-Casting/Ogre-Face Spider Deinopis sp. Singapore, May 2011 Don’t let the enormous, inquisitive eyes fool you. This stick-like spider will spin an elastic, sticky net, suspend the trap between its four front-most legs, and then hurl itself and the net at you, engulfing you in silken misery. Then it’ll liquefy your guts, suck them out, and enjoy it. These spiders, also known as ogre spiders, have two super-large eyes that overwhelm the four smaller ones, creating a slightly unsettling, humanoid appearance. The better to see you with, my dear. Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Two-Tailed Spider Hersilia sp. Nikoi Island, Indonesia, June 2013 There's a spider in this picture, we promise. Look closely. You might wish you hadn't. The two-tailed spider -- sometimes called the "Long Spinneret Bark Spider" -- appears to have two tails, courtesy of its extremely long, hairy spinnerets. Perhaps our favorite feature is the teeny-tiny pair of legs (third pair from the front), which are dwarfed by the other six. Our only regret with this guy is, once again, that it's not bigger -- at about 1.3 inches long, the spider is shorter than a AA battery. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Wrap-Around Spider Dolophones sp. Singapore, December 2012 Not so much strange as adorable, this little guy wraps himself around branches and twigs, blending in like a bump on a log. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Tree Stump Orb Weaver Poltys illepidus Singapore, June 2010 While one spider in the gallery evolved to look like poo, several resemble different insects, and another looks like a twig, Poltys illepidus has rendered itself nearly invisible by doing its best tree stump impression. See it? It’s the little knob atop the stump, facing to the right, with its legs pulled up over its face. When frightened, these spiders adopt a humped posture similar to this, and peer out between their legs. Kind of like humans do, when watching Honey Boo Boo through our fingers. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Huntsman Heteropoda davidbowie Singapore, October 2011 Don’t you think this spider looks like David Bowie? Maybe just a little? Turns out, this big old huntsman is named after the glam-rocking star of Labyrinth. If only we were lucky enough to have a fearsome beast bear our name…surely, somewhere, there’s a spider waiting to be named. Note: We included the spider on the right (Lichen Huntsman Spider, Pandercetes sp., Singapore) for terror value. It even gives our resident arachnophiles a mild case of the creepy crawlies. These are the largest spiders in this gallery -- but at 2 inches across, they're hardly big enough to cover your face. More like a hairy eye patch. Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Heavy Jumping Spider Hyllus sp. Singapore, March 2013 No spider gallery would be complete without the most adorable of the bunch: the jumping spiders. With their large eyes, crazy colors, and fantastic flamenco moves, these spiders probably come the closest to winning over stubborn spider-haters. The spider above has little eyebrows. He's among the larger jumping spiders -- at a whole half-inch across -- and has a big personality. "As I go very close to these jumping spiders, they tend to jump onto my lens," Bay said. The spider to the right (Cosmophasis sp., Indonesia), which has quite the unibrow, looks like a Sesame Street character -- an iridescent, eight-legged version of Bert. And the spider below (Siler sp., Singapore) is a peacock jumping spider, among the most beautiful and colorful of this already dazzling crew.

Photos copyright Nicky Bay.

Wide-Jawed Viciria Viciria praemandibularis Singapore, April 2013 Om nom nom. Oops, that's one of my eggs, says this striped jumping spider with different colored eyes. "Oddly, one egg is caught between her jaws," Bay said. "She might be feeling threatened, or just hungry." Spiderlings from this species, shown sliding down a strand of silk at right, are born a beautiful jewel green. Photo copyright Nicky Bay.

Black Armored Trapdoor Spider Liphistius malayanus Malaysia, September 2012 Pay no attention to the spider behind the trapdoor! Lifting the door of a camouflaged burrow reveals a dark and hairy spider hunkered down, its legs arrayed like a fan, carefully feeling for the vibrations of prey species. When Liphistius malayanus senses the telltale signs of movement above, the spider erupts from its burrow and pounces, clamping down on the unsuspecting insect and dragging it to the depths of its home, which can extend for several feet underground. This spider, shown at right, is the second-largest of the species in the gallery. It's about 1.75 inches across. Photos copyright Nicky Bay.