Australian Wildlife
Golden Orb Spider

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Photo 1

A front view of an adult female. Golden Orb spiders have a hairy body and smooth abdomen. Some of its many eyes can also be seen.

In this photo we can see the gold coloured threads behind the spider at the centre of the orb shaped web.

Photo 2

The Golden Orb Weavers are not aggressive and will vibrate their web to scare off intruders or simply run away and hide if threatened.

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Photo 3

This photo shows the under side of an adult spider. They are generally a brown colour with a light grey topside.

Golden Orb spiders are unique in that they often add strong "protection" strands in front and behind their web.

Photo 4

This photo clearly shows that Golden Orb spiders have eyes in the back of their head.

No wonder I didn't have much success trying to sneak my camera up behind her to get a few close-up shots.

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Photo 5

I saw this female in a tree at a nearby park and didn't notice she was having a visitor when I took the shot.

The photo shows just how much larger the female golden orb spider is than the male of the species.

Photo 6

This is the same female in the park doing some running repairs to her web.

Golden Orb spiders don't only rely on vibrations caused by insects getting trapped and trying to escape. While I watched, she frequently sent a shockwave through her web causing everything caught in it to vibrate.


All photos on this page were taken using a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 and FZ50 digital camera.

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