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Nephila pilipes
From Wikipedia: Nephila pilipes is a species of golden orb-web spider. It is commonly found in primary and secondary forests and gardens. Females are large and grow to a body size of 30–50 mm (overall size up to 20 cm), with males growing to 5–6 mm. It is one of the biggest spiders in the world. The Nephila pilipes' web is vertical with a fine irregular mesh and not symmetrical, with the hub is usually nearer the top. Rather than egg sacks being hung in the web, a pit is dug which is then covered with plant debris or soil. The first, second and fourth pairs of legs of juvenile females have dense hairy brushes, but as the spider matures these brushes disappear.
Found in forested hills on the edge of the town of Sungaipenuh near the Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia.
We almost ran into this hand-sized spider blocking the trail on a short hike up to the top of some hills near the town of Sungaipenuh, Kerinci, Sumatra. I may have screamed like a little girl.
Spotted on Jul 21, 2012
Submitted on Aug 17, 2012
2 Comments
lovely !
I'm sure I screamed like a little girl, when I pulled up just inches from walking face-first into one palm-sized female.
One of the most amazing thing about golden orb weavers, is that they can build an entire two-story tall web in 24hours, and rebuild in a few days later. Largest webs built a single spider.
The other wonderful thing about them is the golden hue that shines off their web when the sunlight catches it just right.