Monday, August 10, 2009

A huge day spider - commonly seen in The Woodlands and elsewhere

Here in The Woodlands, I have seen this spider of the family Araneae several times before. It is the Black & Yellow Argiope, or Argiope aurantia. It is very big and scary to many people. Go to swampy areas in Southest Texas and you might find these in abundance. These were found on plants next to a pond in a Woodlands park. This large one is the female. Although like most species of the family, its bite is venomous but not dangerous to a human. It eats small insects captured in its web.

The small one is the male.

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