The Golden Orb Spider

As I went to feed my chooks, something strong brushed me and I looked up to see this beauty (and then cringed, stepped away quickly and then felt like I had spiders crawling all over me!)  Their webs are so thick it’s like walking into strong cotton.  When we play golf there are heaps in the bush (if you’re like me and are forever looking for your ball) and we are constantly having to watch we don’t walk smack bang into them. Imagine one of them on your face…eeww.  You may not be able to tell its size from the pic, but believe me when i say it was HUGE. The size of my palm, huge. Yuck.

I found these details on them…I wouldn’t want to be a male orb spider, I think it must be one just at the top of the pic, his legs are just showing.  Very small in comparison.

The Golden Orb spider gets her name from the beautiful golden, orb-shaped web that she makes. This web is the largest and strongest in the world.

The tiny males live on the edge of her web feeding on small insects. They are so small that they can sneak in for a quickie without the female noticing. But if they are caught they may get eaten.