I was happily traipsing through the rainforest in the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge area the other day when Gordie called out to me: “Watch out for the spider web!” I looked up, and sure enough, I was walking right toward the largest web I had ever seen. It was several feet wide and woven between two trees. Occupying the web were three, colorful spiders - a large female in the center and two slightly smaller males closer to one of the ends. This was my introduction to the Golden Orb Weaver spider, one of the largest spiders in Central America.
The female Golden Orb will build her web between trees in highly-traveled, open areas where flies, bees, moths, butterflies and other insects pass through. When the unaware insect gets caught in the web’s silk-like thread, the female spider will slide over it, bite it and inject it with paralyzing venom. She will then wrap it in her silk thread and move it aside for eating later. The male Golden Orbs, who characteristically sit off to the side of the web like the two we saw, will often steal the paralyzed prey for their own enjoyment.
I have also read that some butterflies contain toxins or other chemicals in their bodies. The Golden Orb will recognize these and free those butterflies from the web.
Lesson to be learned: watch where you are walking.
The photos shows the two brightly-colored males that we saw.
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