What "true spider" was on Jay Leno???

[Aarantula]

I watched a video on Jay leno that was posted on the boards a while ago with a guy who brought on multiple T's and a few true spiders... One in specific was a true spider that Jay said looked like a cartoon. It was BIG and was being free handled by the guy on the show. Anyone know of the species??? :?

Your help is appreciated, thanks all!

 

[syndicate]

that was one of the giant orbweavers i believe.prob a Nephilia sp(?)

 

[Aarantula]

I've been thinking about getting one to add to my collection but I've never kept one in captivity. What's the life span like on one of them? Female and male...

 

[Arachno_Shack]

Oh..I've seen those! Did it look like this one?

 

[Pulk]

it was Nephila sp. (golden silk orb weavers)

orb weavers in general have pretty short lifespans (at most a couple years I think). you can find lots of information about them by searching this subforum for 'nephila'.

 

[Jer]

I think it was a Jay lenoensis.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

The lifespan is closer to 6 months from hatching.

 

[Pulk]

The lifespan is closer to 6 months from hatching.

thanks, I knew it wasn't more than a couple years but I wasn't sure how much less.

 

[dragonblade71]

I went to Queensland (in Australia) recently for a wedding and there were a lot of golden orb weavers of the Nephila genus around. Large and beautiful! Whereas most spiders try to stay hidden much of the time, I notice that Nephila are always highly visible - suspended in webs at head height. You'd think that they would be sitting ducks for birds and other predators.

 

[Aarantula]

Are they generally as docile as they appear to be in most video's of people handling them? :?

 

[pjstorm]

Leno video

I would like to see that video! Does anyone have a link? Thanks! They are cool-looking spiders!

 

[Pulk]

Are they generally as docile as they appear to be in most video's of people handling them? :?

I've only had N. clavata (but I'm guessing behavior is pretty much the same throughout the genus)... they may be that docile after they've been on your hand for a while, but they -hate- being separated from their orb web.

I would like to see that video! Does anyone have a link? Thanks! They are cool-looking spiders!

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/episodes.shtml

with 'select episode' selected, scroll right and go to Feb. 5th.

 

[pjstorm]

That was a great video! Thanks!