Are golden orb weaver spiders poisonous?
The venom of the golden silk orb-weaver is potent but not lethal to humans. It has a neurotoxic effect similar to that of the black widow spider; however, its venom is not nearly as powerful. The bite causes local pain, redness, and blisters that normally disappear within a 24-hour interval.
Where do golden orb weaver spiders live?
Golden orb weavers live in all kinds of forests in North, South, and Central America, as well as on Caribbean islands. Some live in urban areas, too. They like warm, humid places.
Are golden orb weavers native to the US?
The Golden Silk Orb Weaver is a native to both North and South America. It is sometimes also called the Banana Spider. The Joro Spider is a native to Asia and was recently found in North Georgia and South Carolina.
This page contains pictures and information of Golden Orb Web Spiders that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
Female body length 20mm, male 5mm
This Golden Orb Web Spider is the largest spider species that found in Brisbane. They are common in bushes and gardens. They build very large and strong yellow silk orb web. Their web is vertical or slightly inclined, usually high above the ground.Their web is usually one to three meters about ground. The web could be larger than two meters in diameter. When the spider senses any danger, it rushes to the top of the web.
Male
Males are much smaller than female. They are usually seen on the web of adult females.
The females are one of the largest web spiders in Australia while the males are only about 1/5 of the female size.
On early summer, we sometimes saw the male wandering around looking for female.
Young female
Young females have the simular male patterns on abdomen. Those patterns fade away when the female grow up.
Those female spiders are mature enough to mate, sometimes males can be found on the web. The relatively slim abdomen indicates that eggs are not yet developed inside their body.
The female Golden Orb Weaving Spider certainly is a fearsome looking arachnid, and can grow up to 4cm in length. The good news is that they’re harmless to humans. It will still hurt if one bites you, though! Her male counterpart is tiny, measuring in at a maximum size of 6mm. Imagine if your mum was over four times the size of your dad!
The Web
This spider lives all over Australia, and can often be found spinning a web out of yellow-coloured silk.
A Golden Orb Weaving Spider’s web can be up to one metre in diameter – this spider needs a spacious home, as it never leaves its web!
Food!
This species of orb-weaving spider is an opportunistic feeder, which means they will devour any suitable prey unlucky enough to be caught in the huge, sticky web. They can be fussy, though, and are known to reject certain types of beetle, butterfly, ant and wasp that aren’t very tasty.
Once prey is caught in the web, the spider must hunt it; after all, it could still escape! It finds out how big the prey is by vibrating the silk strands of its web. Once the spider knows this information, it can decide on the best way to attack. The female spider can deal with insects larger and heavier than herself. Imagine trying to manhandle something bigger than you! (A giant spider, perhaps?)
But what do Golden Orb Weaving Spiders do when there isn’t any prey around to catch? When food is plentiful, these resourceful spiders construct food caches. That way, when times get tough, they can chow down on their pre-filled pantry! Is this the squirrel of the spider world?
Breeding
Reproduction can be a dangerous time for the male Golden Orb Weaving Spider (remember, he is much smaller than the female!). If he is lucky, the female will allow him to mate with her, and she will then produce egg sacs holding, on average, 380 eggs. That’s a lot of baby spiders!
