Peppergrass

Giant Wood Spider

Nephila maculata

YUCK YUCK YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!!!

Also known as the Golden Orb Spider because of its silk, this is probably the ugliest and biggest (8 cm) spider I have ever seen. No wait, the ugliest are those fat black ones that sit behind bathroom doors! This girls web was about 4 meters long and about 3 meters wide. Unlike most other spiders, the Giant Wood Spider does not dismantle its web, and if it is not destroyed by other natural or man made method, it can last for a few years. Though the web is designed to catch flying insects, it is also strong enough to catch small birds, though they aren’t eaten they often destroy the web when trying to dislodge themselves from the sticky trap. Males are sometimes 1,000 times smaller than the female (the little red ant like thing in the picture). About 15 or so males all bunch around trying to get a go at her, but when I took the shot all of them became her lunch except for this one guy on her back. I think she was just biding her time. Anyways, hopefully I’ll never come across one of these again.

Posted on September 19, 2008 at 12:02 pm in Uncategorized.