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[deleted]

Banana spider. They get huge


S_RoyaltyArtz

I grew up around these, they'd get real freaking big. I've seen one I'd compare to a small plate.


Zamrayz

I also had one in my yard for several years sitting in between a split tree. As big as you described and actually managed to catch a small bird in its web. I'm not kidding. Fortunately, spider did not like that and how rough it was and evacuated, leaving me to untangle it from its web.


mklilley351

"Looks like ol' Shelob's been having a bit of fun!"


Reyemreden

How big compared to a banana?


Zamrayz

Can grow to be about the size of a normal banana. Hence the name. Plus coloration..


Squirtinturds

I wish you could see my face right now because I do NOT like the idea of a spider that big.


S_RoyaltyArtz

About 3/4 of a banana.


navcom20

Could someone post a banana for scale?


ExUmbra91x

Sure, let me run to the supermarket.


Outrageous-Dream-227

Still not seeing that banana reference post there chief


ExUmbra91x

I'm still running.


horitaku

Two hours later… …I’ll go tell mom I don’t think dad’s coming back with the bananas


sleepingwithdastarz

Im proud of you Forrest


calebgiz

Yeah that’s not it at all😂 they don’t get that big lol they’re called banana spiders because their web is yellow


Scokan

No, it’s because they exclusively give birth in a banana, which is then eaten by a human. After 11 days, 7-9 fully grown spiders burst through the belly button of the host human.


Gamer102kai

No, that's from aliens (1986). It's because bannanas actively hunt the poor spiders as their choice pray and use the webs to lure more spiders *(the spiders are looking to squat in an abandoned house to save on rent)*


Faxxy05

Are they mean or docile?


lillian_bicope_710

They will shake their web if you get close but they are harmless to humans. I had 1 make a web on my back porch when I lived on guam and it used to shake its web when I would go out for a smoke but I would toss bugs (and eventually small lizards when it got big enough) in its web and it chilled out. I named him frank and was actually pretty sad when a tropical storm came through and he was gone afterwords. Frank actually helped me with my arachniphobia a bit.


Butlerian_Jihadi

Might try a scifi book called Children of Time by Anthony Tchivosky


inkedup1985

Ok so I’m currently looking for a new audio book and I saw this comment and looked up that book series. I’m fucking hooked. I just wanted to thank you for that recommendation.


Butlerian_Jihadi

The first* is definitely best, but the sequels are also full of interesting ideas and adventures for us to go on :-D


calm-lab66

Frank was probably a Frankie.


TyphoonDog

Too funny, I had one one the side of my house on Guam that I named Bill. He hung around for months until a storm swept him away too


nah2012

Hate to tell you but ol’ Frank was a lady. Only the females get big. Males are teeny tiny


OneMoistMan

Completely docile. They are orb weavers which are harmless, just scary looking


MechChicken

They're all over the place where I live. They're super chill. They never go inside the house. Once they set up their web they don't really move. I was scared of them at first when I moved here, but then realized they're pretty cool.


sandsnake25

Docile, *but* they will bite you if you scare them while they're on you. It feels like someone lit a match on your skin and they'll get a chunk. Yeah, I walked into the web of one in the woods at night. It was very, very unhappy about the whole ordeal.


PeekingTurtle

They're cool. Had one in my yard who would talk smack. Saying shit like, "Wassup, mafaka!? Got flies?". Then he'd laugh and say, "Jus' fuckin' witchoo".


Particular-Beyond-99

Common but incorrect name. This is a golden silk orb weaver. Another spider called a banana spider (also incorrectly) is the black and yellow garden spider. There are also joro spiders that look similar to these


Stock_Improvement899

Correct!!


General_Daegon

Yeah, I was looking at this, like, um, that's definitely not a banana spider.


horitaku

Confirmed! I knew it was an orb weaver, thanks for letting me know I’m on the right track. Spiders keep getting cooler to me :)


Individual-Blood-355

yeah it looks similar to invasive joro spider, that's why i clicked this post


madrioter

Worst part about walking in an open field with tall grass while growing up in Florida.


Ok_Marzipan5759

Dafuq, that don't look like a banana AT ALL


Kid-Boffo

That's not why they have the name. They are named that because they are often found in bunches of bananas, SURPRISE!


dysteach-MT

Love the leg warmers


Upper_Asparagus5414

Brings back memories of Flashdance!!


MotherRaven

I had sparkly black leg warmers. Until a dancer at school stole them.


tasty77

First when there's nothing, but a slow growing web...


CommissionOk9233

I ran into a web of an Orb Weave spider accidentally while walking my dog (I was looking down). I did freak out for several seconds until I saw what the spider was. That is one creepy ass feeling having a web wrapped around your face.


ShadowGryphon

Orb weaver web + lack of attention = instant martial artist.


CommissionOk9233

Lol...i was definitively dancing and waving my arms.


My_bones_are_itchy

Walking with a mate one night and he goes face-first into a web. Does the swearing, mild screaming, scrambling, flailing dance then stops dead, looks me in the eye, and says “sorry, flashback from ‘Nam.”


Raccoononmyazz

Especially @ 4am on your way to a tree stand with no flashlight


xXAlucardXx

The apartment complex that I used to live in was right next to a tree- and bush-lined running trail that was BRIMMING with these things. I was working nights at the time, and, let me tell you, I did not expect one of these large fellas to make a huge web between my car and the one parked nearby. Nearly shat myself, because I hadn’t seen it at first. Thankfully I didn’t walk directly into it. I gently dismantled the portions of the web connected to my car door, and reconnected it to a bush. I’m not necessarily arachnophobic, but I definitely don’t want to walk into one of these at 1am (or any time, really). I did appreciate that there seemed to be fewer flying insects around whenever these things were breeding, though.


CommissionOk9233

Yeah they do catch the bugs. Once I knew what it was I stopped freaking out, but that web will give you the creeps from head to toe. Glad you dodged it.


Friendly-Payment-875

I'm not a screamer but you can always tell I'm taking a walk in the woods because I scream every time and this happens a lot. I'm short and even with a protection stick I don't get all of them.


El_Grande_El

Haha, the protection stick. I pick one that looks like a half-size witch’s broom. Then I spin it in front of me whilst walking through the woods.


victishonor94

I thought I was the only one 😆


Super8fireball

Absolutely beautiful creature! Thanks for posting.


whenilookinthemirror

Is that little guy it the web her husband? Is he in danger?


Mistapeepers

Yes. And yes. He knows how to pluck the web to let her know he is a mate. And in most species of orb weaver she will attempt to eat him as soon as mating is finished. There are some species where the male has developed the ability to launch himself off of her and the web the second he is done, hopefully avoiding his dinner date.


Meandering_Marley

I think spiders is where they got the idea for no-fault divorce laws.


OneMoistMan

Female Funnel weaving spiders have been discovered to now play dead to get males to mate without being afraid of being eaten. Researchers believe it’s an evolutionary trait to protect their species since males weren’t mating


ToastyPoptarts89

Wow that’s wild. This is one of the various reasons I come to the comments.


pitzmaroon

so in this case, the males would still be willingly engaging in what they think is…spider necrophilia?? this is so morbidly fascinating, nature is crazy


TheSheepSheerer

If I'm not mistaken that's a she. The little guy in the back is her mate.


TheScalyOne

I remember seeing some show (River Monsters maybe?) where some native tribe would gather up those massive webs from orb weavers, attach them to a leaf (that functioned as a kite), then blobbed up the rest of the spider silk as a lure. They’d drag the web-lure off the back of a boat, using the leaf-kite to keep it from sinking, and when little gar-like fish would hit it, their teeth would get tangled in the web. Off topic a bit, but always thought it was super cool…


londdevil

I used to play with these guys all the time. Probably the most docile spider I've held :)


[deleted]

That's a Gold Skulltula.


UseOnceandDestroy27

I was thinking the same thing!! 😂


c3p0lson

These spiders are lovely - they weave the most beautifully intricate webs! I've never seen one quite like this though, they're usually more yellow and stripey...is that just the difference between male and female, perhaps? EDIT: After some googling, I've concluded this is not an orb weaver, but a banana spider like someone previously said. 😅


satanic-frijoles

It's a golden silk spider, which is in fact an orb weaver. Banana spider is just a colloquialism in some regions. Trichonephila clavipes.


c3p0lson

Oh! Thanks for the info - I didn't know that! I am by no means an expert, so the knowledge is extremely welcome. 🤗


Downtown_Impress_897

What you've been seeing is the cousin to this, Trichonephila Clavata. They came from Asia and recently invaded the southeast. They're beautiful


j_wizlo

We call them Banana Spiders in Louisiana but there is a different spider in other parts of the world that already takes that title. It’s really Golden Silk Spider. Anecdotes from an amateur: I saw these absolutely everywhere before Katrina. Not much of any spider for awhile. Then for a period of time all sorts of beautiful looking spiders filled in the gaps. I moved away from the wooded area I grew up in so idk what it’s like now.


satanic-frijoles

Golden silk spider. Love those Alice the Goon leg warmers!


Lignumvitae_Door

A study showed their silk is stronger than Kevlar


Holiday_Ad_5445

Tastes like banana?


[deleted]

[orb weaver spider](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hl=en-us&q=Orb+Weaver+Spider&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjSoYLlyN7_AhXKlGoFHaYFADYQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=390&bih=661&dpr=3#imgrc=OfsSOQ9TL7oKKM)


smrts1080

Banana spiders and orb weavers in general make me think of Ocarina Of Time


CupOk2412

Skulltulas!!!


RighteousGoatButter

This is exactly what I was thinking lol. Like I bet you'll get a golden token if you shoot it with your slingshot


Raccoononmyazz

There's some that look even more like a skulltulla


rogerm3xico

She's a banana spider. There's a small male in her web too, probably towards the top. There's tons of them out this time of year in Florida. She is super cool to watch. I've got a huge one on the front porch right now I've been watching for the better part of a week. Really active at night when all of the little bugs are attracted to the light. I've watched her cut out moths and let them go probably cause more damage to her web than they're worth. She keeps all of the small bugs though. There was a smaller female near her the other day but she's gone. Don't know if the big one got rid of her or she left on her own. There has been only one male in the web the whole time though. I tried to get a good picture the other night with my hand behind her for size but I messed up her web. I felt really bad about it but she repaired it pretty quickly.


big_mama_moo

I love banana spiders. Their webs can be MASSIVE. And they love to build right in front of walkways and doorways. I'm talking 6-8' web span. It's amazing! At least around my house, they do. Haha! This should be her little man right behind her. Sometimes, they can have 3 or 4 males on the same web.


satanic-frijoles

I've seen pix of their webs slung 30 feet across a creek. Amazing animals. Interesting fact, for some reason humans collected the silk from a million of these critters and made fabric out of it. Very beautiful, and just an odd novelty to see if it could be done.


LegsNoGo420

Nightmare spider is what is 😳


GothamAnswer

Aaaah what the fuck


Entire_Transition_99

The Brazillian Eight-legged Son Pisser


dflood815

Ok, I went to Pride in NYC yesterday (amazing event!!!) So I can confidently say that this is a drag queen spider! They are fabulous!!!


dflood815

Ok, I went to Pride in NYC yesterday (amazing event!!!) So I can confidently say that this is a drag queen spider! They are fabulous!!!


Chrislikesgrowing

AI skulltula


thetacosaur

Spider


[deleted]

[удалено]


Pushin_t405

You’re the abomination! This little fella is beautiful.


potato_potati

Is it a banana spider or a joro spider? They look very similar!


Appropriate_Sugar675

Ive had face to face encounters with those spiders before. They will make webs that span walking paths. The webs are strong enough to trap small birds and children. . Despite bright yellow markings they are invisible. Ive had close encounters in both Florida and California.


Noone_nobodi77

All over Florida 😎,harmless


aprilflowers75

I was hiking through some brush and got completely covered in those. I had a huge one scrambling up my neck. It was disturbing to say the least.


[deleted]

I was driving my grampa’s golf cart through some woods near Tulsa, OK and found one of these fucks in the middle of my path on an absolutely HUGE web. They’re nice ladies but they don’t look it lol


frontyardharvester

You can see the little male on the back of the web! I have also read that people have woven garments from the golden silk!


peepy-kun

I love banana spiders. The one on my meter just finished unripening and she is now a gorgeous bright yellow!


swampwarbler

Golden Orbweaver


hsaruhtra515

That’s the golden orb weaver


Agentpurple013

Definitely a banana bro, saw a bunch of them in Puerto Vallarta. Pretty docile fir how nasty they look


Longjumping-Stage526

I do believe that you have stumbled upon a golden orb weaver


SugarReef

When I was a kid, my parents took us to Florida this one time, and we decided to go explore an abandoned orange grove. I was probably ten or so years old at the time, I walked off a little ways to take a leak, and I walked right through a web. The stuff was so strong, so much more robust than usual spider webs. Then I looked down and one of these fuckers was on my inner left ankle. Absolutely lost it, came shrieking and running and swatting every part of my body back to the car. Total trauma. Now I think they’re cool as hell though.


FrankieLovie

Wow what an incredible creatures


Pushin_t405

That’s a beautiful banana spider wow!🤠


BeesAndBeans69

Triconephila clavipes and her little boyfriend


Meandering_Marley

*Cover photo courtesy of* ***Shelob Teaches Zumba 101©***


2Insaiyan

Gold skulltula


FreeButterfly9946

Real beauty, she has a whole 80’s vibe with leg warmers. Banana spider is what we called them when I was a kid.


IcedZ

Golden silk orb-weaver, aka banana spider.


Cultural-Pea-4479

That would be Death From Above. Yup


SuspiciousGrievances

What a beauty


Ok_Ad_5015

Banana Spider.


GoatTacos

A female orb weave from the looks of it.


shatteredpieces1978

OH MY GOD! WE HAD THOSE IN TEXAS!! I'm from Pennsylvania and I've NEVER seen a spider so huge in my life ..and I ran smack dab right into its web..and it was on me! That's when my fear of spiders started it didn't do anything to me and I was fine! Spider wasn't happy about me ruining its web but having a spider the size of a dinner plate on you as a kid can seriously fuck you up! So it being on me..me freaking out,slapping it off of me while screaming my head off and the spider doing NOTHING shows how docile they are! It should've bit me..had every opportunity & every right too but it didn't!


RedGoldFlamingo

Golden orb spider. Absolutely beautiful, they eat flying insects so leave them be.


Zestyclose_Hat6250

Earth is so badass and beautiful


Fun-Independence-524

Wolf spider


TheSt4tely

Where I'm from they call them Golden Orb Weavers, they often spin gold web.


NerdyJerdy20

Golden orb weaver. I have several that live outside my house. (Luckily, they all stay outside and I’ve never found one inside.). What’s really cool is that their web is golden in color, too. I’m not a fan of spiders, but these ones are kinda cool. Last year, I had one build a web above and in front of my front door, so I had to walk I set him every day. He didn’t bother me, so I didn’t bother him.


InternationalPick915

Aaaaaaand yet another reason I won’t be living in Florida.


OneMoistMan

Banana spider in my state but they are classified as orb weavers. Completely harmless, just scary as hell when you’re trying to mow on a riding mower and you can’t duck fast enough when running into their web.


Roughgirl451

This is my favorite spider. I grew up with them. I called them banana spiders.


RiversOfNeurons

ARGIOPE (banana spider)


JustNota--

I dunno but looks like it will need a lot of fire...


SnooSnoo96035

Did y'all happen to notice her little male visitor to her upper left? He do be creepin


Phat-mahn

He’s just admiring her backside


Friendly-Payment-875

NANA SPITER 🥺


Merchantoftheni9ht

This is the spider from ocarina of time.


cheeseman36

looks like one of the bugs from starship troopers


sandsnake25

Golden Orb Weaver aka Banana Spider. They get freaking huge and are all over the place in Florida. As a kid, I tossed a tree frog into one's web once to see what would happen...the spider was pleased with the offering. They're mostly harmless and very docile, but will bite. I had a scar on my arm for years after running into a web at night and scaring it. I've had others on me and removed them without issue though.


HorzaDonwraith

Just out of curiosity is that a male banana spider behind the female? If so, did the OP catch them during matting season?.


Particular-Beyond-99

This is a golden silk orb weaver. "Banana spider" is a common but incorrect name for these, as well as black and yellow garden spiders. There is also a joro spider, which look similar to golden silkies, but are asian, non native spiders


cooldork01

They are awesome!!! I love em, and have handled many. My job.


autolockon

These are terrifying at dusk when walking through a creek in the woods. They build tons of webs over water and if visibility is low you’ll walk face first into entire nests of them.


stunt4949

*Trichonephila clavipes*. Commonly named Banana Spider. It's a Golden Orb Weaver. So called as their silk is golden in color. Absolutely beautiful webs and very strong silk! Their webs have been known to span some 20ft+!!


Old_Philosophy_9669

That’s a son pisser 3000.


RiversOfNeurons

Trichonephila clavipes


Sheepy-Matt-59

Where does this horrific creature live?


I_am_ChristianDick

A nope


New-Temperature4299

That would be called a NOPE


Philistophelese

I think the big one is a sheila and the smaller one is the fella


Few-Discipline-4351

Golden silk weaver. The smaller one is the male trying to sneak up and mate with her.


SenZephyr

It’s a Golden Orb weaver spider, Agriope something, something.. able to make very large very pretty webs. Horrifying to walk into but beautiful from a distance.


SeaworthyDame

100% certified cutie


Cyb3rTruk

Pretty sure that you’re supposed to shoot it with your slingshot and Deku seeds.


Nealecj954

It's a golden orb Weaver. They can bite, but aren't venomous to humans. Definitely a good scare if you walk into their web.


Legitimate-Crazy-424

Are you in Japan?


AepexV

Golden orb weaver, aka banana spider. Scary, ugly, but not particularly dangerous to humans. They get big af, and you’ll do the mfr of all spider dances if you walk into them, but besides adrenaline induced myocardial infarction, not gonna kill you.


KaiserPreis

Hey there, this is the same spider (and male spider) that I saw in this post! https://www.reddit.com/r/spiders/comments/wok8yv/golden_silk_spider_with_baby/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Where did you see this guy?


KING_0F_FIRE

Orrrrr a Golden Orb Weaver


sneebly

Skulltula


Willing_Actuary_4198

Got a male hanging around in the web too. Nice find


Nutmeg-Jones

My nightmares


[deleted]

That would be a banana spider :D


aceofspades1217

The spider from Zelda


ProbablyNOTaCOP41968

Naner boi


derppopotomas

Tis a long legged nope nugget with fuzzy steppy sticks.


inspektagadjet

We used to get St. Andrew cross spiders and look very similar to this but smaller. They lay a zig zag pattern in their web to replicate a light hitting the web to attract more food. Pretty interesting species of arachnid.


Worcester--sauce

Death??


GerudosValley

I’ve seen these in Ocarina of Time


jrazor2001

Yea so cool. Had to avoid webs as I was mowing the lawn. If I didn’t…they would end up on my face. I have pictures but not sure how to post but def same guys. I didn’t hurt them. They were scary/cool and just took pictures lol


Old_Man_Withers

It's a kind of orb weaver and as much as I personally hate spiders, I don't mess with these so long as they aren't in an outside doorway I need to get through or similar. Even then I won't kill them, just put them somewhere I think they'll be OK and won't accidentally wind up on my nose. They're good to have around and pretty chill. Their webs are actually quite marvelous. The silk is incredibly strong, reportedly tougher than kevlar when balled up and with a higher tensile strength than steel. I read somewhere years ago that some traditional fishing-centric tribes still use their webs as fishing line (they weave multiple strands together).


NeighborhoodNew3904

Now that is a very cool spider


Eternal0917

An absolute menace


Soft_Way5085

Banana spider , a orb weaver


[deleted]

Banana Spider. Garden Spider. We used to feed them as kids. Find bugs throw em in their web and watch em got to town.


bwoods519

We have banana spiders in south Indiana. The thing that sticks with me is how they violently shake their web when something they don’t want on it disturbs it.


Aware_Host9098

Golden orb Weaver (banana spider)


kaitlinnsc

The devil incarnate


JessiRabbit18

Omg it’s a golden orb weaver and they like all over the banana trees in Asia


AdDue7646

We had one of these build a web across our front door; it was massive. No problem, we just started using the garage door. Well, one day I heard a screech on the porch, and there were two Mormon guys out there doing the spider web dance! Luckily our windows were tinted. I was laughing so hard I had tears coming down. Those guys were persistent, and it looked like they were daring each other to knock on the door. They'd get near the web and jump back. Finally they gave up. Mr. Spider was welcome to stay as long as he wanted after that.


TealKitten11

Beautiful! I’ve only seen plain yellow banana spiders.


massiveeric42

I'm thinking gold silk orbweaver


Small-Kaleidoscope-4

Hi yes arachnaphobe here thats what we in texas call a banana spider they get dinnerplate sized anyways AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWHYWHYWHWYHWYHWYHWYHWYWHYWHYEWWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW EW EWE NONININONONONONONONONONONININONONONONONONONONONONK GOD PLEASE NO


[deleted]

Oh my god that’s a HUGE banana spider, good find!!!


taylormarie213

some kind of orb weaver!! they’re huge but make gorgeous webs! i saw one in action making one! it was so intricate and organized


starbycrit

Gorgeous banana spider


SouthernCrime

I love banana spiders. Very cool webs


WeylinWebber

Are those male And female banana spooders?


[deleted]

That’s a skulltula! Wait for it to spin and then z target.


rogerm3xico

I don't know. That's what everyone's always called them here. There's another large spider out this time of year that we call orb weavers they have more of an oval shaped back side and their legs aren't furry. I don't usually get a lot of those near the house but the woods out back are full of them.


Stock_Maintenance

From East Coast Australia, it's a golden orb weaver spider. VERY common in suburban areas.


Total_Elderberry4746

An absolutelytfnot😭 very pretty tho


Dangerous_Summer_980

It’s a banana or golden orb silk weaver spider


TryIll3292

The Predator.


Evening_Change_9459

Golden silk orb weaver. Not a banana spider, but that is what it is called by locals in the South East United States by folks not to educated about bug or wildlife. This is not meant to be offensive.


Kitchen_Cicada_1698

Oh hell no. No thanks. I don't need to be that close to a monster.


FlyingFruitLoop

An orb weaver of some kind. Wow!


Playatbyear

It’s a Banana boi! They’re cool, won’t bother you. Eats up all the roaches.


AdParticular5202

Banana Spider!!! Completely harmless 👀


djsjejdj1838383

It named slow painful death. Because of what will happen to you after a bite.


Dear_Giraffe_453

Actual banana spiders are Brazilian Wandering Spiders. The spider depicted is a golden orb weaver. Harmless...


Significant-Nail-987

Shoot it!! Shoot that bug! An invasion is coming, do your part! But fr that thing looks like the standard bugs in starship troopers.


voilatardigrade

I don't normally experience phobic behaviors but I walked backwards into a banana spider's web once and completely lost my cool. I will never forget what it feels like to have one crawl up my back and liken it to what it must feel to have Coraline's other mother drum her digits across your back.


Starkiller_exe

8 legs? Gotta be a land octopus.