Golden Orb Weaving Spider

Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are large spiders with silvery-grey to plum colored bodies and brown-black, often yellow banded legs. The males are tiny and red-brown to brown in color. Golden Orb Weaving Spiders are found in dry open forest and woodlands, coastal sand dune shrub-land and mangrove habitats. All orb weaving spiders make suspended, sticky, wheel-shaped orb webs. Webs are placed in openings between trees and shrubs where insects are likely to fly. Golden orb weaving spiders prey items include flies, beetles, locusts, wood moths and cicadas. Sometimes their strong webs manage to trap small birds or bats, and the spider will wrap them and feed upon them. The Golden Orb Weaving Spiders build large, semi-permanent orb webs. The strong silk has a golden sheen. These spiders remain in their webs day and night and gain some protection from bird attack by the presence of a 'barrier network' of threads on one or both sides of the orb web.
Orb weavers are Danger to humans. Orb weavers reluctant to bite. Symptoms are usually negligible or mild local pain, numbness and swelling. Occasionally nausea and dizziness can occur after a bite.