Golden Silk Orbweaver (Nephila clavipes)

[davisfam]

We found a pair of this species yesterday at an old house in the woods. It looks as if one is female and one is male because one of the spiders had a few little one's within her amazing web. Such neat looking spiders!


More Pictures:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/kelseyjane10/Spiders and Such/Spidiies14.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/kelseyjane10/Spiders and Such/Spidiies9.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/kelseyjane10/Spiders and Such/Spidiies10.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/kelseyjane10/Spiders and Such/Spidiies11.jpg

 

[dtknow]

ally, the little ons are males waiting for a chance to mate with th females.

 

[davisfam]

really?? talk about a massive difference in size, lol. that is insane.. thaanks for letting us know that small bit of information, it's appreciated!

 

[Nicole]

Yep, the size difference is amazing isn't it? Although I'm always walking into these gals webs in the woods, and even the males look huge when they are ON YOUR FACE! D: I'm sure the "get-it-off-me dance" is pretty amusing.

 

[The Snark]

You haven't lived until you have driven a motorcycle through a hefty golden orb weaver web.

The difference in size between male and female in Nephila can be amazing. Take this beautiful lady. Her hubby is the little dot in front of the green vine at the lower right. Approximately a 1 1/2mm body to her ~40mm.

 

[hassman789]

Yep, the size difference is amazing isn't it? Although I'm always walking into these gals webs in the woods, and even the males look huge when they are ON YOUR FACE! D: I'm sure the "get-it-off-me dance" is pretty amusing.

Yes as much as I love spiders I would not react well to walking into that!!!

 

[davisfam]

LOL, I agree that this spidiie is def. not one I would prefer on my face at all. No worries, when we're out searching for spiders I find myself doing that dance quite often as well.. Ha. This species is beautiful to 'look at from a good distance' tho!

Thanks for the other picture.. such neat spidiies!!

And the size difference still blows my mind.. does this species happen to kill the male after mating? It def. wouldn't be a hard task for her due to the size difference which is why I am curious, to be honest.

 

[The Snark]

I just made a post titled Raw Sex that really shows the diversity of spiders, with the nephila kuli apparently having a beau as large as her hefty 1 1/2 inch body self.

By the way, I wonder how big the Golden Silk can get. In Malaysia I saw several specimens with a body almost my handspan, about 3 1/2 inches, and a leg span around 10 inches. Not one anomally, but a whole grove of banana trees with a similar sized one stretched between almost every tree. (Was the wrong place to be riding a motorcycle)