Photograph by Tim Allen, My Shot
Also known as golden orb weavers or golden silk orb weavers, these spiders produce webs that can measure more than three feet in diameter, with support strands extending many more feet away. The name of this family of spiders refers to the colour of the silk, which is said to be attractive to insects, and is only produced by the much larger female. To avoid damage from birds, it is claimed that insect husks are left on the web to act as visual cues (like safety strips/signs on glass doors/windows!) but several reports of these spiders eating small birds in some parts of the world contradict this notion. |