Spiny Orb Weaver facts: the Spikey Spiders | Animal Fact Files
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 เม.ย. 2021
- Spiny orb weavers are classified in the genus Gasteracantha, however, they aren't the only spiny spiders in the world. There are even other spiders commonly know as spiny orb weavers that aren't classified in the Gasteracantha genus, so it's not always easy to tell them apart from other spiny spiders in the wild. There are currently about 70 described species of spiny orb weavers alive today. These spiders are often easy to spot thanks to their bright colors and striking appearance. While they might look menacing, they're considered harmless to humans. A bite might leave some swelling and redness, but it's not life-threatening.
Scientific Name: Genus - Gasteracantha
Range: tropical and temperate areas around the world
Size: On average, 5-9mm (0.2-0.35in) long
Diet: flies, moths, beetles, other arthropods
Lifespan: about a year
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Image and Video Credits:
Israel Castorena Lemus - • Gasteracantha cancrifo...
Ades tna - • Spiders that live in t...
Haynes Haselmaier - • Masterful Web Construc...
Judy Gallagher - www.flickr.com/photos/5245005... ; www.flickr.com/photos/5245005...
Pavel Kirillov - www.flickr.com/photos/pasha_k...
Graham Winterflood - www.flickr.com/photos/1269534...
Surfer43 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Palmfly - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Ema326 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Jidanni - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Research Credits:
books.google.com/books?id=uW9...
books.google.com/books?id=Aug...
edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in324
wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/323
www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/deta...
www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/deta...
www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/deta...
www.researchgate.net/publicat...
bugguide.net/node/view/1982
www.mnn.com/earth-matters/ani...
www.sciencenews.org/article/t...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
journals.fcla.edu/flaent/artic...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
journals.fcla.edu/flaent/artic...
animaldiversity.org/accounts/...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny_o...
www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRp...
entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/b...
I have one of these guys outside of my apartment for a couple weeks and we have an almost symbiotic relationship. If I leave a trash bag out overnight he will have 3-4 flies in his web by morning. He’s a good guy, named him Peter
Peter is a good boy 😻
Any Peter updates?
Love how you named him! (Except he's probably a she.)
😂
ay did peter die
you forgot to mention how they are known for making webs in the most inconvenient places
GIANT WEBS, taking up a corner of the backyard. I think I feared the webbing entanglement more than the spider.
Yes, yes they do.. It usually makes me angry enough to grab a stick and deposit the illegally parked spider onto a nearby anthill.
or just completely across the trails in the woods near my house, i have a stick that i leave at the entrance of the trails just to knock down the damn webs
Their webs has a special name called IN-YOUR-FACE.
They stand between 3.5 ft and 6.5 feet recognized by feeling they leave on your skin
These are literally the chillest spiders ever. Lived with these in my yards my whole life and never had a single problem with them even if they’ve been super close to me. No harm ever
My only run in with them, is when I get very close to look at their unique patterns (while they are in the center of their web) - sometimes to threaten me, they will bounce their web, spooking me EVERY TIME.
Yes they are. I let them walk on me. But I do that with jumping spiders too. I love spiders!
@@lindsayhuff8813 What usual outside spiders are dangerous or friendly, or how do I know if they can bite harshly? I'm asking because I'm starting to let spiders walk on me too.
@@unpredictable468 you just have to be familiar with the spiders indigenous to your area and if any are dangerous then you will definitely know about it.
If you can see large fangs or pedipalps that seem big enough to pierce the skin definitely be cautious.
All spiders have venom and the potential to cause an allergic reaction in the person they bite. Everybody is different and can have an unusual or unique reaction to a spider bite so you must always be careful.
I love these little ladies! They always hang up free halloween decorations for me
Same! I have one by my front door right now lol. For a while it kept putting its web in front of the door, and I kept moving it to one side, so now it set up shop in the bush next to the door and has been there for about a month.
I had never seen or heard of these til like 2 years ago. And now we have them everywhere. They look interesting but i didn't know if they were venomous or not so i stayed away from them lol.
@@leaf2180 all spiders are venomous :)
@@spidah8785 no.. not all spider are venomous, and even most spider that did have venom weren't fatal and only itch,
@@hasanmuttaqin464 oh ok can u give me an example of a spider that isnt venomous?
These little guys are everywhere in my backyard, I love naming them, talking to them (because I'm weird like that) and taking pictures of them. Beautiful little guys :>
Sounds like a lovely backyard!
Nothing wrong with that, I do all the time. Just this moment I spoke to a jumper in my bathroom. I told her not to sit in my sink, it is dangerous location for her.
I do the same. I also have the big yellow orb weavers in my yard. I feed them when I catch the occasional cricket or grasshopper and watch them wrap them up. Glad to see I’m not the only weirdo out there 😝
Glad to know I'm not the only one who talks to spiders
So long as you talk to them normally it is 100 percent less weird then when people talk to a kit or pup with a baby voice. Guys, the thing is not retarded. And yes, I know using a higher pitch makes them happy, that is not what I'm referencing. I do that myself. My 2 new kittens respond best to clicks and faux meows and purrs. I do a compelling purr with my tongue roll this petite thicc tucus brazilian who came over here cause all her friends where getting their heads chopped of with machetes and shit,
These are the only type of spider I will voluntarily touch. They're always in my yard
Sounds like a wonderful yard!
@@AnimalFactFiles I spent so long looking for what type of spider the brood hedge mother from grounded was
orb weavers are great. love seeing their creations in my backyard. what I do not love is walking face first into the webs at night though
Jumping spider:
Jumping Spider: "In that case, I hope you don't mind me jumping on your skin real quick while you're looking the other way then."
Fun Fax: In Au we call these guys Christmas spiders... Because they come out in summer.
Love this!
where would you find these?
@@---Blue everywhere they love making webs in my yard
Never heard that before - a guy in Aus
@@---Blue All I can say is there is a verity that pop up in my local area (south of perth) but they are very common in summer, and they sit in the middle of their web all day long, just wait for the heat and take a keen eye for a bush walk.
I like them. They are cute. I was so happy when I discovered one in my backyard. It was sharing it's web with about 2 other spiders (not orb weavers). It was there for about 2 weeks before the wind blew it away one day (sadness). But I enjoyed watching it everyday for those 2 weeks.
They are cute! Some of my favorite spiders
I found one of these outside my house a few days ago! She's absolutely gorgeous. My brother named her Claudia.
Love this name!
I used to play with this spider alot when i was a kid. It’s harmless to human
Very true!
Its bite is as bad as a mosquito bite
@@fsisrael9224 Mosquito Bites Hurt Dude!!!!!
@@fsisrael9224 at least it's not poisonous, so that's a bonus.
@@tvoovm7254 you mean venomous.
I live in Florida where we have alot of these. They're actually my favorite spider. I honestly think the web parameters are low balling, I've seen some impressive webs from these little demons
Me too and while growing up I saw tones of them... and some HUGE webs from them living in what I could only call communes.
Recently moved to Florida and was taken by surprise by how beautiful they are.
I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and never seen these 🙁 but I’m gonna start looking really hard in the summer hahah
I’m glad I found this, they are very common here in Arkansas and I’ve found they like to make webs roughly 6 foot high. I’ve come to that conclusion because I manage to find them with my face or see it just before I walk into it
😅 yes I've experienced this as well
Vandal!
I like this very scientific hypothesis and evidence.
I would like to support your thesis with my own findings. I find they typically DO weave ABOVE 5’2”. I am able to always walk under them as I walk around my house LOL. We only come in contact when they make an anchor string that reaches towards the ground.
@@caitchri2426 thank you for the diligent study of your surroundings😂
This!
Every fall I have two to four golden orb weavers around my house. This year I have for the first time a couple of spiny orb weavers. The variety is amazing. Love spiders. Hate walking through their webs - a gut reaction I cannot suppress - but still appreciate the little critters.
I am an arthropodologist and I refuse calling them anything other than legged biscuit crumbs
I've had these outside my house for months and have been meaning to look up what spider they are because i've never seen ones that look like this. Then this video suddenly popped up in my recommendations!
Google can read our minds.
I’m very surprised to discover that they aren’t actually commonly called crab spiders. I always have called them that and I thought it was their only name lol
There are actual spider crabs in Japan so I guess that’s why they aren’t called crab spiders
In some books, they are called crablike orb weavers.
Same, I've always called them crab spiders too. I've never seen the spiders that are "actually" crab spiders
So we are the same human? 😂😂😂😂
Crab spiders definitely exist, but this isn’t one
Spiders are such an interesting order among the creatures. Those spiny orb weavers are, but jumping spiders are even more. Especially Lucas the Spider :D
Here in Hawai'i I look forward to them arriving every year. I love the crab spider condos that they build together, and their neon green egg sacs look cool
I’ve always known them as crab spiders in Florida, these and jumping spiders I often will handle. Jumping spiders are cool
We have a video for jumping spiders too! th-cam.com/video/N9cQ25tSiC0/w-d-xo.html
@@AnimalFactFiles neat im subbing
I was in the delray area 2016 and am from kentucky. Never saw one so was like holy shit it's a crab spider! Lol just made the name up or so I thought lol. Glad I finally know.
That's pretty cool! I love it when animals defy what we think we know scientifically.
Thanks for the video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great and beautiful video! From making my own video of a spiny orb weaver in my garden, I know how difficult it is to get the little critter in focus. Plus, the images of the web-making and the egg sac are fantastic. I really enjoyed all the information and the amazing visuals. 🕸🕷Thanks. 😃💛
Thanks so much ❤️ So awesome you get to experience them in your own garden!
These are hands down the only spider I genuinely care about. There have been a few around my house the last couple years and from my observations I can honestly say: these are some of the smartest creatures ever. They understand the pecking order and build their webs OUTSIDE and stay OUTSIDE and are content to do so by eating all the other annoying little vermin that don't understand the pecking order when they try to enter my house. As long as they're outside and aren't directly bothering me, I'll let them live, but to choose to enter human territory means they've chosen to face death. These spiders however have NEVER given me that problem and again they keep the mosquitoes and other pests in check. Hell. Hurricanes have hit and these guys will still manage to survive while staying exclusively OUTSIDE. They're awesome.
I like the passion, the drive, and the emphasis.
As a Mississippi boy, I can say I not only have this spider outside my front door, but the first spider you showed as well. Mississippi might be boring, but the spiders are awesome
"Spiny orb weavers don't hear what science has to say..." reminds me of some politicians. lol. thank you for posting
Or Karens
Let’s Go Brandon
Or flat earthers
Reminds me of the Bee Movie intro
AFF:"Spiny orb weavers don't care what science has to say"
Me: Very true AFF and neither do people who make everything political.
I’m from Costa Rica, and they’re everywhere..!!! they’re actually my favorite spiders ❤️🔥 Some people are scared of them haha they’re harmless..!!
I love these I always pick them up and play with them when I find them
What does their bite feel like?
@@jeffmurnahan I’ve never been bit by one, they’re super friendly, you’d probably have to try and crush one for it to even try to bite you. But their fangs are very small I would say it would probably be less painful than a bee sting I’m not sure how bad their venom would be but it isn’t medically significant unless you have an allergy so it would probably only be mildly irritating
@@mattiebee347 Good. Thanks for taking the time to answer that
@@jeffmurnahan no problem :)
I Am 60 Years Old & A Native Floridian,, I Have Been Seeing Spiny Orb Weavers Since I Was A Child,, They Are Very Common & Abundant Here.
Somebody said you forgot to mention that they leave their webs in the most inconvenient spots.
What they forgot to mention, however, is that this spider is a true work horse. Should any of its web be damaged it will work to repair it, incessantly, regardless of time of day or weather and only stops perfectly in the center when it is complete. If you knock one down in the morning it'll be done by the next day waiting for you out your front door.
These little dudes live in my brackyard and they build their webs anchored to my car.
I think they’re really cool but I’m not all that sad about jumping spiders eating them… especially since jumping spiders are my cool little housemates.
I love seeing them around my yard because I find them to be really cute. When I first saw them I had no idea what they were, so I called the skulltulas, like the skull looking spider from legend of Zelda ocarina of time.
OH MY GOOOOOOOOOD FINALLY.
over a decade ago i saw 2 of these in my great grandmother's yard, they had set up camp on her laundry drying lines outside. there was a yellow one and a red one on the same web. i was so amazed by their beautiful bodies i got closer than i ever got to other spiders (other than jumping spiders and daddy long legs) i had no idea they were harmless, could've been deadly but i couldn't help but get close to look at them. for all this time they stuck in my mind even though i have horrible memory and can't remember much from those years, glad to finally know their name and why there was 2 of them in the same web. sad to think about the fact that they're long gone now. haven't seen another one since.
There was a spiny orb weaver outside my apartment for several weeks back two years ago. All black and white, I loved watching it make a new web, I even said good morning to it. And then someone killed it because I saw the web all destroyed. I miss it.
The Broodmother boss from the game grounded looks like the spiny orb weaver
Because it is
Thank you 💕🕊️, love these. Did not know so many spiney ones , how interesting , and now I want to read more on these. 👍 Thank you
Glad you learned something new!
These are everywhere where I am (middle part of georgia, US) and they’re webs are just mesmerizing. There’s so large and the patterns so beautiful
The evolution of me learning about spiny orb weavers:
1. Seeing one when I moved to Florida and it freaked me out.
2. Living here long enough I learned they're pretty much harmless so started removing them by hand.
3. Realized they have strong webs they work for and would just leave them.
4. Learning they are hunted by jumping spiders, which I always play with when I find one.
Conclusion: Why was I ever scared of this spider? 🤷🤣
5. These critters can quite literally fly. They will attach an anchor web and then poop a web out they will use as a kite. They will use the web kite to either change positions and fly away, or use it attach a line to a other branch or surface, or literally climb out on the end of it and dangle in the wind until they can attach to the new surface manually. It's weird, but I have several of these guys near my house. And I keep trying to find more info on them. At this point, I suspect I might be the foremost expert. I cant find any evidence that anyone, from TH-camrs to scientists, can articulate this species behaviors like I can.
I'm even convinced I can recognize 2, if not 3, different ways on web construction based off winds conditions. It is an orb weaver so they take their web building seriously. But first question is how do they span large gaps without walking the distance. Well, they literally fly. They don't walk the distance. The lay an anchor and then make a parachute and then fly to the next branch. They lay an anchor there, and then walk the the tight rope back to their first anchor. Another strange sighting is they will do this to make the rings in their web. I wish I could draw it but they use the same tactic of wind to make loops in their web. Like they can swing back and forth and the wind stretches the circle parts. They then land on then and use their legs to spread the circles apart while laying the lines going from inward to outward. That's the opposite of what spiders are supposed to do. But I have watched them do that in reverse in the wing. They make the rings first and attach them after. And I can't find evidence of this. But I watch it outside my house. So either I'm crazy. So we still don't understand the creatures we study.
Had these in my front yard for up ton10 years. And about 4 or 5 at a time.
They got used to the main sidewalk into the house and learned not to build webs there. But when October came around, we didn't need to put up any fake Halloween spiderweb. We had the real deal.
The chillest spiders. Hang in their webs and never come in the house.
That last fact you threw in there is mind blowing. About survival and circadian rhythm.
there’s a spiny orb weaver at the dog park of my apartments and we all collectively leave her alone and let her live a good and thriving life here. She’s been there for five weeks already.
I found one of these in front of my house and was stunned by the beauty of the horns. I’d never seen anything like it. She’s got red horns and a solid black body…named her carmela and shes got a green baby nest planted under the passenger rain guard for my car (still dont know what to do about that lmao)
Carmela is an excellent name!
I think it’s okay to let them hatch. They almost always scatter and travel away from their hatching site, so when they hatch, you won’t have to worry about them sticking around for
more than a day before they all blow away.
Honestly this is the 1st year I’ve seen them. Absolutely in love with them they are beautiful
I love spiny orb weavers, my grandma had a seagrape tree in her backyard that had tons of these things.
Ive always tried to avoid these things. I thought they were venomous they look like they’d kill you.
Fair observation lol
Yeah, actually their bite is comparable to a mosquito bite
Me and my boyfriend went hiking down a listed trail at a local nature preserve and this little spiders were EVERYWHERE. I can't tell you how many colours me and him saw. We literally had to duck and dive underneath their webs. I'm glad to know if we had gotten bit we would've been OK. Although I don't think the actual orb weavers that were often next to them would be the same.
i love orb weavers, hunting in early fall i try to make sure to sit down near one to watch them build and catch flies and mosquitos. It's an unlimited source of entertainment
I've got a couple of these on my bamboo in my backyard. These things are awesome looking and I've seen them shoot webs like Spiderman.
We get loads of these guys in my area especially in October
They’re so cool looking and I love watching them work
These are my favorite spiders. They're always hanging out catching annoying bugs and they look cool. I always pet them when I see them.
I’ve got probably over a hundred of these guys in my backyard, I’m glad to learn about them, they’re super cool
a long while ago one of these guys was hovering right in the way of the garage opening. the web was absolutely massive, and was connected from a tree to the driveway. I honestly thought I was tripping when i saw this dude just hovering in mid-air, but it was just chilling on a web.
Thanks for a very good video on these amazing little orb-weavers.
I have probably 10-15 females living in my backyard. They absolutely freak me out, but your video has made me feel a little better about them. Thanks for the info! I still get the heebie jeebies from 'em.
Great video my guy! I love these Lil dudes!
When I was a kid I used to catch them and keep them as pets. Very beautiful spiders and since they are harmless they make good pets. Usually docile
I have about seven noticeable in my garden. Glad to know that they are not dangerous since I’ve let them stay. I’ve only removed the webs in the walkway and let the rebuild elsewhere.
I have arachnophobia and one of the ways I combat it is if I see a spider I've never seen before I go and look up info about it. This morning I saw one of these outside my apartment making her nest, and couldn't believe how neon yellow she was!!! Thank you for this video, it helped me learn a little more about her and pushed me just a little closer to getting over my fears
Awesome video! Thanks for the video!
Person: "you should not exist!"
Spider: 🥺😞
They are so cool looking. The pattern of spikes and sharp angles is pure metal 🤘
Thank you for the video! This is my favourite spider species, they’re so cool!
I think I may have specifically requested a video about orb weavers, so thank you. The orb weavers at my house have spines but they aren't very large, but they do appear to have little skulls on their underbellies.
Have 4 of these spiders around the backyard. One has a massive web setup a few feet above the little pond and is always catching mosquitoes.
I have a large huntsman spider. I leave the light on and he catches all the bugs that fly around it. Quite useful!
Growing up I used to play with them in the mountains of Puerto Rico and the spines are very soft, you'd have to grab it very gently and their webs are dope!
Also they come in bright colors even the solid black ones looked a bit scary
These guys are great. They always seem to catch a ton
We have one on our wash line right now! She’s sooooo cool looking. Thank you for this video!
I really like the way you talk about these guys. Lots of great info.
I love orb weavers. I had a beautiful Labyrinthea Orb Weaver hanging on my porch. She was magnificent.
I've always known these as Crown spiders where I live. These and Black and Yellow Garden spiders are my favorites
These are going nuts this fall around my house, huge webs too
“Orb weaver” is just a badass name
I used to do tree service work, like clearing county sewage easements. We’d be so glad to see these little guys because they always caught the yellow jackets lol it’d be a sign of safe workday
I love spiny orb weavers. Haven’t seen one here in the backyard but I do get giant golden orbs all over my yard and they are fuzzy and I love them just as much!
We want to discuss more orb weavers in the future! They're so neat!
Had alot of these little guy's in my yard in south Florida, always interesting little creatures, I live in Georgia now around Atlanta area and they don't have them here, I miss these little guy's.
Have met those spiders 3 times currently; one deep inside a forest (little - white), two on locals' garden (big - yellow). Still got each of their photos in my phone gallery. Used to call them _Edgy Spidey_ ('coz you know... them edges/spikes)
I have one living outside my patio with its web partly on the screen and partly on the hibiscus bush next to said screen. I check on her every day and so far, so good! There is another spider, species I don't know, who has a web right below my orb weavers but they don't seem to interact. Very cool video, thank you!
These guys are all over the bushes in my yard, love these guys.
Yeah i knew them as crab spiders, im glad to learn more about. I see them all the time.
We've got Gasteracantha cancriformis in our area. Love these little critters. They're very cute, and they eat so many mosquitoes and midges, they're very welcome in the area around our house. We had loads of them last year, but haven't seen any at all so far, this year.
At my Mum's place we'd get orb weavers out front every year. Not sure if they are spiny but they looked like it. Their webs were huge, they had lines running to the ground from the gutter and about half that space was the full web. They'd be out making their web early evening when my Mum would be sitting out front so we could watch them make their webs. They'd be packed up and gone by morning and back out again in the evening. They were chill so we left them be, even if they were right on the front porch blocking one of the ways out.
Sounds like a beautiful sight!
I grew up calling these crab spiders. They were the only ones I could tolerate in close proximity as long as I knew where it was. Because the spots kinda look like skulls
i have one of those spider things in one of my pens, like a long time ago i bought a pen and on the top of it was a spider in a little plastic cover. its just encased within a plastic bubble
One of these showed up in my backyard a month ago. I wonder if she is still there.
I lived in South Florida for 20+ years and these guys never left. We had a very big screened patio and they would make a _layer_ of webs across the very top of it. We called them Kite Spiders
Love this 🥰
We get these here in Santa Fe NM. I always let them post up around my porch light to catch moths since they're not poisonous. They are terrifying to look at tho.
I grew up calling them smiley face spiders cuz their patterns would look like smiley faces haha
Love this!
I have a corner in my backyard full of these little critters (about 12 webs counted so far). Harmless and free pest control.
Have these all through the property here. Very nice to have. Don't bite and easy to move if the build in a bad spot.
I love these spiders. They are some of my favorites.
I love these guys. Spiny Orb Weavers and Jumping Spiders are the only spiders I will hold.
I remember these guys along time ago they are actully harmless creatures and cute i love holding these things until today
Quite harmless and completely adorable!
Bardock: Am I in a bed? Am I in hell? Does hell have beds? You'd think they'd have spikes... or spiders.. or spikey spiders... spikers.
They are everywhere here in miami. I remember walking to elementary school as a kid and seeing them everywhere.
I work as a hanger, deflower and cart puller at a banana farm in Australia and everyday I will wade through upto 50 of these guys a work day
I've got 4 of these girls, living in my pool cage in Central Florida, and have regenerated themselves for years. The current group are Ethel, Gertrude, Martha, and Susan. I imagine they get together once a week for book club or bridge. 🤷♂️
My favorite kind of spider! I love spiders in general, but spiky spiders are so neat!
In the Philippines, spiny orb weaver can be found anywhere. And i love catching and taking care of these cute creatures.
I went on a trip to Illinois and found a bunch of these. We dont have these in my area and I found them super fascinating! cute little boogers.
I remember the first time I saw one of these suckers, it really freaked me out at first, until I looked em up and learned that they're pretty harmless. Their webs are pretty darn strong too! I've had to knock them down before, cuz one chose a really bad place for it. The ones where I live look exactly like the one in the thumbnail.