The giant golden orb weaver

A giant golden orb weaver is seen in Bijia Mountain Park, Futian District. Photos by Isaac Cohen

The giant golden orb weaver

Probably one of the scariest yet most fascinating animals in Shenzhen is the giant golden orb weaver (Nephila pilipes), a large-size spider with remarkable traits.

斑络新妇美丽又危险，是一种体型硕大的、极易辨别的深圳本土蜘蛛。

A widespread mistake people make is labeling spiders as insects. It doesn’t take much effortto differentiate spiders (with four pairs of legs) from insects, which have three.The correct label for spiders is “arachnid.”

很多人都认为蜘蛛属于昆虫，其实非矣，因为昆虫只有三对足，蜘蛛则有四对，属于节肢动物门下的蛛形纲。

A giant golden orb weaver is seen in Bijia Mountain Park, Futian District. 

Female spidersare larger in size, growing up to 5 or 6 centimeters in the body, measuring an impressive 20centimeters with their legs spread. Males are really small, roughly 5mm in body size, displaying one of the most considerable disparities in animal sexual dimorphism.

斑络新妇雌雄差别悬殊：雌蛛体长5-6厘米，如果算上它奇长无比的足，总身长可达惊人的20厘米；雄蛛则只有一丁点大，体长仅5毫米。

The body of this fantastic spider is elongated, and it can show variations in color, from brown to gray or even reddish and purple. Its legs are black with yellow bands, and the last segment of the legs is longer than the rest. Both pedipalps (buccal structures) are bright red and yellow, and the spinnerets (web-making structures) are black.

雌蛛的躯干部分呈狭长的矩形，体色鲜艳，呈棕、灰，甚至红、紫色；步足黑，关节处具黄色环纹，每条足的末节长度比其他环节长度更短；须足呈亮红及黄色；吐丝器呈黑色。

A giant golden orb weaver is seen in Bijia Mountain Park, Futian District. 

The silk of the golden orb weavers contains a compound that shines yellow under the sunlight, hence their name, and the net is powerful enough to capture all sorts of insects, even small birds or bats, which they can include in their diet.

斑络新妇吐出的丝中含有特殊物质，在阳光下呈金色。它们织的网非常坚韧，即便是小型鸟类和蝙蝠也难以挣脱，只能沦为蜘蛛的美餐。

A giant golden orb weaver is seen in Bijia Mountain Park, Futian District. 

Although the giant golden orb weaver can inject toxins into its victims, it is not known for any harmful effect on humans. There are no reports of aggressive behavior or attacks on people. If you find one on your walk through the park, admire it and let it continue playing its role in maintaining a healthy and dynamic ecosystem in our city.

斑络新妇虽带毒，但只用于麻痹猎物，对人类没有不良影响，它们也从来不会主动攻击人类。因此，如果你在路上碰巧遇见它，请不要惊扰它，让它静静地在原地吐丝织网，维系着这座城市的生态平衡。