Don’t get Caught in this Net

Posted by Mathew Klie-Cribb on Thursday, November 05, 2009

A new spider species has been discovered and it’s a big one. Actually, it’s the biggest web-spinning spider in the world. The new spider belongs to the nephilia family, also known as giant golden orb weaving spiders, discovered in South Africa and Madagascar.

The spiders are extremely rare and can only be found in a sand forest in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa.

The first giant orb-weaver was described in 1767, and the last time a new subspecies was documented was in 1879. The spiders are unique because the female spider has evolved to become giant while the males remain what scientists believe to be the species original size.

Check it out here.

Photo M. Kuntner. This photo shows a giant golden orb-web exceeding 1 meter in diameter: Nephila inaurata, Rodrigues, Indian Ocean.