My Dad found this spider and brought it over for Jason. Sorry about the crappy photo, but there is *no* way I’m taking it out of the container before I figure out what it is. I do know one thing that it is – HUGE. Other than a tarantula, it is the largest spider I have ever seen. It has to be at least 3 inches across.
Any ideas on what kind of spider it might be? And is it poisonous?
14 replies on “What Is It?”
cancel the visit!
I’ve seen them outside before. I don’t think they’re poisonous. From what I’ve read (because I’m afraid of spiders) the black widow and the brown recluse are the only poisonous spiders in the country. Still wouldn’t want it getting on me though. haha
aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!@#!@# you have no idea the heart attack this photo gave me when i checked flickr first thing this morning. i’ve had the heebie jeebies ever since. i think i hate you.
Amy – country girl – to the rescue!
We called them Garden Spiders growing up. Totally harmless. They spin the coolest webs though. There is a big zig-zag down the middle.
It looks like it may be a Nursery Web spider. I wouldn’t touch it (just because it is a spider!) but they are relatively harmless. The size is a giveaway…NWebs are 3″ across….
I posted a pic of a similar spider not long ago
http://www.baldheretic.com/2006/08/16/borris-ziggy-the-spider/
It’s a Argiope Aurantia. An orb weaving spider more commonly known as the black-and-ellow argiope or the black-and-yellow garden spider.
Jay Lee is right on. They are harmless, in fact beneficial if you consider all the other bugs they eat and they are gorgeous! Make some pretty incredible webs too. If you can find them in the morning with a bit of dew on their webs, it makes a real pretty picture. I’m just sayin.
Oh, jinx. I sent a link to jay’s website on the flickr comments.
sweet fancy arachnid, batman!
*shiver* I -hate- spiders. Turn into a squealy little girl when they’re around. I don’t CARE if I’m fivethousandsixtyfour times larger. Not the point. BIGASSSPIDERS can sometimes -jump-.
And that? That is one ooogly spider. Harmless or not, they have FANGS.
*twitch*
I’m sure that it is perfectly harmless, but, oh, ewwww.
first of all thats nasty and it looks poisinous 2me hey by the way can you tell me how to make my own website email me the directons at pink_danielle_sonya@yahoo.com
I’ve always heard them called banana spiders – according to the site below, they are also garden spiders, as Amy stated.
http://www.surviveoutdoors.com/reference/spiders/banana_spider.asp
They are very cool spiders! They can make their webs vibrate by bending their legs back and forth – I’ve wondered if it’s a threatening gesture, as they do it when we get too close.
I’ve never worried about poison, but I bet they could wrestle me to the ground and give me a serious whoopin!
Those are really great spiders.
It sounds weird, but my dad keeps them as pets (sort of). If one sets up home near his back porch he will toss grasshoppers, junebugs, etc. and see how big the Garden Spider can get.
Even though they can get frighteningly large and start rocking their web when you get near (not sure if that’s for defense or the better to catch you with my dear); they would only hurt a fly.
We just call ’em banana spiders, here just south of Houston 🙂
I wrestled one to the ground once and tried to make him mad with a little twig, to see for myself whether they are dangerous. He was completely non-aggressive; he didn’t try to attack the twig in any way. He just tried to get away from it. So, I’ve always left them alone to let them catch as many bugs as possible. Sometimes their webs stretch all the way across a double driveway, about 25 or more feet. Scary lookin’ things, but seemingly quite harmless.