Thursday, October 22, 2009

Largest Web Spinning Spiders Discovered


Recently scientists have found a new spider which is now considered the worlds largest web spinning spider. Golden orb-weaving spiders or also known as Nephila komaci. are the size of a regular CD. The females' bodies are 1.5 inches and the legs are 4 to 5 inches long. Females are larger than males due to the fact that they must lay eggs. They grow over time. Males on the other hand are 5 times smaller and are considered normal sized spiders. "the new species is "just a whisker" bigger, a few millimeters to be specific, than other Nephila species, which are known for their enormous body sizes", says Jonathan Coddington of the Smithsonian. Though there are larger spiders that do not spin webs, this spider is definitely still in the vast family of large spiders. These spiders are not only big in size but they also spin very large webs. They are the largest spiders that can spin webs. Very few people have seen this spider except for some African expedition researchers.
I truly find it fascinating that so many scientists pay so much close attention to animals as small as spiders. Although, this is not a small spider. This I also believe that these rare species should be acknowledged a lot more due to their unique size and web sizes. They are rarely found and only found in Africa making it rare for many people to see these beautys. Overall, I believe that these spiders should be recognized for their wonderful size.

5 comments:

pianoplayer97 said...

This is an intresting topic. I can't believe they are as big as CDs! Overall, great job. I also agree with you opinion, it is fascinatin that scientists study all the creatures in the world, even the smallest ones.

softballgirl96 said...

Phenomenal job on your response. A spider the size of a regular CD is not only unusual, but fascinating. The fact that the males are considered normal size spiders while the females are five times bigger is very interesting. I can't even imagine how intricate and beautiful those webs must be. Also, I agree with your opinion greatly. It is certainly nice to know that scientists pay close attention to all kinds of species. Overall, I've learned much about a species I never knew about from reading your post. Once again, great job. :)

Soccerfan7 said...

This article interested me after I spotted the fairly large spider in the picture. Spiders are creatures of awe-inspiring wonder. Their web spinning abilities allows them to paint brilliant masterpieces out of thin air. Some find that these creatures are hideous and scary, but if you look past their looks, you can see how amazing these eight legged artists really are. Your picture in your blog post shows that spiders are artists.

PinkBubbles4589 said...

Awesome job! you did a good great and there were plenty of interesting facts. Especially the one about the females being the size of CD's! I cannot believe that they are the largest web spinning spiders. Your blog s really good. I enjoyed reading it.

textqueen said...

Hey there crazy4coke091 :D I LOVE this article, its really amazing. After i saw that picture of that spider web i was like woah thats a pretty cool picture and i ended up reading the whole article and couldn't stop! I found it a coincidence that I thought the same thing! spiders are so small, and there are millions and millions of other critters that could of caught their attention but a spider?! Oh my! Fantastic job :)