VENOM TOXICITY - the bite of Golden Orb Weaving Spiders is of low risk (not toxic) to humans. Symptoms may include mild local pain, numbness and swelling. Occasionally nausea and dizziness can occur. They seldom bite.
Be careful not to walk into their webs at night - the fright of this spider crawling over one's face can be terrifying and may cause a heart attack, particularly to the susceptible over 40 year olds.
Area of distribution - Australia wide, commonly found in bushland, coastal sand dune shrub land and mangrove habitats. They are native to Australia.
Spider Identification - large spiders 20 mm to 30 mm in body length - has a bulbous abdomen with fine hairs - silvery-grey to plum coloured bodies and brown-black, often yellow banded legs. The males are tiny and red-brown in colour.
Habitat - common in gardens and open fields - particularly in summer. All orb weaving spiders make suspended, sticky, large circular web of 2 metres or more, often between buildings and shrubs, to snare flying insects, such as, flies and mosquitoes. These spiders remain in their webs day and night. After mating, the Golden Orb Weaving Spider wraps her single egg sac in golden silk, which is usually disguised inside a curled leaf or twigs.
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