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At an overall body size of 20 cms the Giant golden orb-weaver (Nephila pilipes) is one of the largest spiders in the world. Only females however grow to this size. Males are between 4-10 times smaller!

Females spin massive webs across open areas in a forest. Some of the webs I’ve seen were probably around two meters across. I’ve noticed that this spider is, for all practical purposes, blind. Even if you wriggle your finger inches away from one it won’t notice you. But if you wriggle any part of the web the spider is immediately alerted and will often make a dash in the direction of the emanating wriggle!

A less frequently encountered species is the Black wood spider (Nephila kuhlii)