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Spiny Orb Weaver Spider

Spiny Orb Weaver

was: Gasteracantha cancriformis but is now identified as: Gasteracantha elipsoides.

Photo taken at the Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, FL.

She’s completely harmless – but so awesome looking!

These spiders are quite small – usually no bigger than a half an inch, but for their size they build enormous webs. They like to build webs around trees and shrubs. They also adds tufts of silk to their web, but the purpose of the practice isn’t really known. Some folks suggest that it has something to do with a visual warning so larger animals don’t destroy the web. Perhaps they are just gettin’ fancy since we know they lean toward a flashy presentation. Oh girl!

Their color can vary, but this color variety is quite common. Some have black points and a yellow back, but they are more rare. There are some awesome photos of this spider floating around online but mine is a bit far away. Too short to get closer…

This one is a lady. The females are a bit bigger (sexual dimorphism), whereas the guys tend to often have more muted tones and an elongated body.