The Banana Spider

Last week, I noticed one of these little huge arachnids had made her home in the foliage of our apartment complex:

This particular species of banana spider is Nephila clavipes, known for its impressive webs – “Nephila” is derived from ancient Greek, meaning “fond of spinning”.

Knowing that this particular species is not poisonous to humans, I braved a closer look – If you enlarge the image, you can see the furry patches on her legs.

I don’t think Florida critters will ever cease to amaze me.

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