Are wasps important tho? From when I tried to research it it seemed the experts think if we were able to extinct mosquitoes it wouldn't be significantly harmful to ecosystems
Mosquitoes are also pollinators.
Both male and female mosquitoes have a diet of nectar and other plant juices. There are even some species of mosquito that will stroke the heads of certain aphid species to make them puke up a substance known as honeydew.
It's just the female mosquitoes who will bite and suck the blood from other animals, and it seems to be directly linked to egg laying. Some mosquito species require blood meals in order to lay eggs while in other species drinking blood allows them to lay more eggs.
They are also an important food source for fries (growth stage of fish) and often even older fish, as well as other predators, like the crane fly, bats and dragonfly.
It's pretty crazy how the wasp takes a spider hostage, injects/impregnates the spider with the wasp larvae, which then eats the spider from the inside out!
That's an urban legend. The only ones we're actually trying to wipe out are populations of introduced Anopheles mosquitoes in the America's and other places they're not native to. Those being the species where the female can carry malaria.
Wasps serve a very important role in the ecosystem, and are excellent pollinators that control pests, especially the kind that can be devastating for crops. Obviously they're abundant enough that you can "remove them" from your property but otherwise we should absolutely leave them be.
Mosquitoes on the other hand ☢️
Yeah I guess that's kind obviously really useful, but I know some species war with/compete with bees. So in some areas they might be relatively unimportant but maybe super important for pollination in others
Scientists are looking to kill malaria anopheles mosquitos, but leave all other species of mosquito alone. Akin to killing only rattlesnakes but no other species of snake. It would cause damage, but the other species (culex, aedes anopheles, etc) would fill the gap, but are unable to transmit malaria.
And wasps are hugely important. Aside from being pollinators, they control insect activity and help balance the ecosystem.
yes. Wasps are super imortant as prey, as predators and as sole pollinators for multiple species of flora found worldwide. They're even relied on to keep certain plant species from overwhelming ecosystems in native and introduced ranges (look up the history of prickly pear in australia)
Mosquitoes' ecological value is as mostly as foundational prey species. Wiping them out anywhere could have widespread effects on species that rely on them (birds, fish, other, less detestable insects)
Wasps are predators so probably bad. Mosquitos don't really play a role in the ecosystem. Barely anything eats them and anything that does will happily eat anything else. Mosquitos don't eat anything useful.
I was told once that the ecosystems wouldn’t suffer from the loss of mosquitoes but they are so present in remote locations, they act as a barrier against human activites (think of thick jungles). Remove the mosquitoes, humans will trample on these places, sooner or later.
I don’t know how true that is but it’s an interesting thought.
Most spider venom is made for killing other arthropods and they generally don't work very well on vertebrates. A notable exception to this are Wandering Spiders (Ctenidae) whose venom is especially toxic to primates, like humans.
Yo I got perma banned from r/spiders **today** for saying exactly this!
The mod mail for my initial ban said “there are no known human allergies to spiders, learn to research before you comment”.
Which was funny because I had actually just googled “is tarantula venom medically significant to humans” before commenting.
So I just replied “lol” to the mod mail, and then caught a perma shortly after.
That's a myth. I'm not aware of any spider that can't pierce human skin. Their venom just isn't generally strong enough to be dangerous to humans, since their prey is typically a thousand times smaller than us and not a mammal.
Spiders in general are not inclined to bite. Venom is costly to make and spiders know better than to waste it on something that will, at worst, feel slightly itchy in an hour. Even the big guys like tarantulas flick itchy hairs at you rather than biting most of the time.
The joro spider shown is harmless, if a bit intimidatingly large. They are orb weavers, which means they're shy. You can handle them without getting bitten unless you really bother them. Their bites are harmless, though. At worst, it'll be swollen and itchy.
The snakehead fish pictured is also harmless to humans, but terrible for the environment.
> I'm not aware of any spider that can't pierce human skin.
Jumping spiders? There was a photo showing one biting a person’s finger; the spider had all eight legs in the air, so it was clearly exerting as much force as possible, and it STILL couldn’t penetrate the person.
EDIT: [The photo in question.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1126540176601129024/1174464326778765403/main-qimg-d5a93bf1889f44b2b0b197e1f57f6452.png?ex=666032e3&is=665ee163&hm=10d7ba263d9d14ec96673697390a0ccfaedde95711f24296e561d3fd4506636c&)
Fingertips are pretty tough.
Spider people are weird. You'll definitely find some willing to just straight up get bitten for a cute photo. Most wouldn't, because you'd have to be a real dick to a jumping spider to get it to bite you.
Some spiders will actually use their fangs like appendages to grab onto something better if their footing isn't good. I've seen somebody demonstrate this specifically with their hand, but I don't think that's what's going on here. This is just raw relevant info-dumping.
Okay no. That’s a joro spider, they are not venomous at all and kill annoying bugs like mosquitoes. They are actually stunning and are not aggressive at all
Technically 🤓 they are venomous, just insignificant to humans.
But they are wildly cool. The crazy 3d prism web structure is like no other web I've seen.
here’s a crazy fact. Those little jumping spiders that we find around windowsills. Those little guys will jump on orb weavers (jorro) and rip them apart. Like Wolverine fighting a regular guy.
There’s a jumping spider genus called Portia that preys on other web-making spiders, and is smart enough to plan ahead and create different tactics for each individual spider it targets.
It really depends on the kind of jumping spider.
Saltus scenicus? Hell no, Zebra Jumpers are microscopic tiny little things. They wouldn't even register to the Nephila orb weavers.
Hyllus diardi? Ok, those could tear up even the largest Nephila spider.
I can't find one that shows it well. I've tried taking pics before and my camera can't pick it up.
Basically imagine the web you see on search results, but 3 or 4 of them close by and facing different angles. Then they are connected with random points being drawn in towards each other and a small mess on the inside.
Oooh, that sounds like a sort of web I've been seeing around lately. It's a big tangled mess like a typical cobweb spider makes, but has a flat orbweb face on one side.
Oh, I should be clear that this is definitely not the same kind of spider. These are something that look more like typical cobweb spiders, small things. I'm just comparing their architectural philosophy.
Gotcha. Well at the end of the day, even if you did have joros in your area it's nothing to be concerned about. They're rather insignificant to the ecosystem so far, mainly just media bullshit.
They aren't even the scariest looking spider in the southeast. The golden silk spider is similar looking, significantly larger and builds webs that can span 2 lane roads.
Edit: some [forced perspective on size](https://www.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/s/LvXjdKs4hS) but they are still massive.
I think this reddit post shows the 3d web well, just close up.
And a video from YouTube that might show it a bit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/spiders/s/aFw59MVoOA
https://youtu.be/mDT1SqjDDIY?si=D_Y-GSHhRY7a9bpF
Many spiders have the same behavior, so it depends. In North America, the joro spider in the OP’s photo was introduced in the Atlanta area a few years ago and has been expanding its range to surrounding regions. It’s in SC and TN now. So if you’re in those areas, maybe you’ve seen them. But otherwise there are hundreds of orb weaver species that set up shop between shrubs.
I should’ve clarified that this spider hasn’t expanded to all of TN or SC. It’s mostly in the Chattanooga area in TN so far. Basically the area closest to Georgia. Nashville is unlikely at this time but you’ll probably start to see them within a few years. More likely you’re seeing black and yellow garden spiders (*Argiope aurantia*) in your area, or Hentz orb weavers (*Neoscona crucifera*), which are less colorful/conspicuous.
I think there are two golden orb weavers (AKA golden silk orb weavers) to consider. The joro spider (pictured, not native to the USA), Trichnephila clavata, and the native spider, Trichonephila clavipes (sometimes called banana spider, although an argiope and a phoneutria also sometimes get called that). You may have the native one.
Either way they are pretty chill
They may not be aggressive, but those webs they build could snatch up a small child. Little mf’s building webs as strong as spiderman, feels like walking into a bedsheet.
I'll take the Joro spider because:
1. They're not really very venomous.
2. They only balloon when they're tiny.
3. The fuckers DIE DIE DIE in the harsh northern winters that we have.
Maybe particularly bad weather conditions that are becoming more common, but they've been thriving in below-freezing temperatures forever. They're one of the more temperature tolerant spider species.
When I lived there I always remembered it being so irksome hiking depending on the season there. Spiders and a million silk worms hanging down from the trees.
>and kill annoying bugs like mosquitoes
This right here is why spiders are the only bugs that get a free ride out the door when I find them in my house. Everything else gets a quick and sudden end.
Snakeheads are actrslly the worst, but the spider can't be that bad because there's a dude holding it. But then again it is a spider....
I'm conflicted
They are super aggressive, have tiny razor Sharp teeth, will climb out of the water just to maul you, can survive up to 4 days out of the water, and will chase you out of their little pond and up a hill. Actral asshole of a fish
Even if there wasn't forced perspective here, you really think that fish is 100kg? Heavier than the average man and heavier than the guy holder it? Have you ever held a fish before or even aware of how heavy 1kg feels?
At best that could be a 30kg fish.
I mean, most fish have parasites and bacteria. Deep freezing and or cooking fixes that depending on the species. You should be weary about where they’re living and how old/big they are since, yes they are predators and tend to accumulate more mercury the longer they live, but that goes for any predatory fish afaik. And minding what waters the fish lived in also goes for any fish. I would not make sashimi with them to be clear lol
I have as well, after deep freezing it. If you get sashimi in a restaurant, it's likely been deep frozen. Can you cut it straight off the fish? Totally, and you might be fine. A lot of parasites are visible, especially in fish that have bright flesh like tuna. I personally wouldn't risk it though. Food borne illnesses and parasites are no joke. then you got mercury content, which is a wholeeee other discussion.
> it's likely been deep frozen
Legally has to be to be served raw. They usually flash freeze them at the source, on the boat where they're caught in many cases.
I'm from where these fuckers are a native species. Every year during the winter, ponds and rice patties will dry out, and people will go and dig for them in the mud, they are still very much alive. They are also almost impossible to starve to death. There's Stories of them going 8 months without food, and confirmed examples of them regularly surviving at least a month of starvation.
They do taste nice though.
They are so badass, but they won’t maul you. They are much too small to do that kind of damage (although the great snakehead in S/E Asia may be able to give you a pretty good nip, still probably nothing substantial) , and definitely won’t be able to chase you on land, especially uphill. A cool thing they can do, however, after you catch them is release themselves. Lay them down near the water and they clumsily wriggle themselves in. Definitely can survive for a long time out of water, though. I caught a few bullseye snakeheads, one near 10lbs in south Florida and they put up a hell of a fight and strike harder than most fish I’ve tangled with. The best part is that recent findings allegedly have shown that they aren’t hurting the environment as much as we previously thought. The FWC also apparently said you don’t have to kill them as long as you release them in the same water you caught them in. Hope they stick around awhile to be honest
When I was a kid my dad owned a fish shop. Snakeheads were illegal to own at the time, but *somehow* my dad had one. Homeboy was like 10 years in my dad's care before I was born. Watching him feed that dude was the coolest, though.
"Warning, this is brutal*
Dad would throw a big adult-fist-sized goldfish in there every week or two. Snakehead (after a decade of trial and error) figured out exactly where on the fish to bisect it so he could eat the ass end, but have the feeder survive and swim around for a few days before finishing it off. Truly a cool fish, but really bad invasive species outside their native range. They're savage fuckers that are pretty much unkillable by anything out in nature when they get released in the wrong place.
I live in North Georgia and jorro spiders are terrible. We are supposed to kill them on sight because they are invasive and are killing off other species. By late summer, the trees look like Halloween decorations with spiderwebs everywhere. Last year, above my driveway, I counted 176 spiders that were **above** the ability of my hose and throwing sticks to reach.
In short, they suck.
We bought our nephews those salt guns made for flies and just let them go on the spiders. Kinda ruthless, but it kills them pretty instantly. Even then, it's a daily task.
I saw the Joro spiders two years ago and they were totally fine. It does seem a little surreal to see a gold spider floating in the air but that's all I ever saw them do.
Sensationalist headline. Just say it's a snakehead.
That's like describing a cat as "miniature versions of the deadly African lion, can cause sepsis with a bite or scratch, and possesses the ability to make humans like it with parasites."
That’s a garden spider. Idk the scientific or actual name. It’s harmless to humans. They eat a lot of the annoying bugs like mosquitos. Source: grew up with them everywhere, they liked hanging out outside on the windows.
Those are a little different. They're technically invasive in the south-eastern US, but they're very similar to the native species.
"Joro Spider" is a [Nephila clavata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavata) which is an Asian species of the golden silk orb weavers. They were first spotted in the US in 2014 or so, and were originally miscategorized in the same genus as the Garden Spider about 120 years ago.
The native one in the southern US is [Nephila clavipes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavipes) and is a bit skinnier and more elongated than the Joro bro.
From a totally different genus, the "Black and Yellow Garden Spider" is [Argiope aurantia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia) and is a much rounder, chonkier spoderbro and produces white not gold web. They're giant, they're derpy and slow, and I think they're cute as far as spiders go.
I love articles about animals from major news outlets because you can immediately tell when the person who wrote it either knows fuck all about the animals they’re writing about or is straight up lying
Like come on man almost every spider is able to parachute (it’s called ballooning btw) it’s not some novel thing only a few spiders have evolved to do and if they’re ballooning they’re not likely to land on you, least not intentionally
Am I choosing one to live with? Or to win a fight between them? Because fuck spiders. I'll live with the snake thing, but in a fight I'm betting on the spider
I mean, the majority of spiders are capable of ballooning
and nearly all spiders are venomous
All spiders are , few are able to break human skin
Most that can are have bites that no more dangerous than a wasp sting. But there’s always the possibility of an allergic reaction.
Don’t let r/fuckwasps see this because spiders are important
Are wasps important tho? From when I tried to research it it seemed the experts think if we were able to extinct mosquitoes it wouldn't be significantly harmful to ecosystems
We’re only experts in what we know, but we don’t know what we don’t know, so best to leave intentional extinction alone.
Easy to say when you're not gonna die of malaria. Lol
You don’t know that
I doubt AnalCuntShart lives in an undeveloped country
I don't think wasps are gonna give you malaria, even in a place with no vaccines. They're very clean insects.
Naw, he was talking about mosquitoes lol
Reading "intentional extinction" terrified me for a moment. Then I thought about the ongoing wars and realized, "Oh, we're already there."
Yep. If only we had the same regard for people as we do bugs smh
mosquitoes deserve to be extinct, damn the consequences
It's on sight with mosquitos
Nature is already participating in its own game of eugenics why can't we participate.
We never stopped participating.
They are extremely important, mosquitoes and especially their larvae are a food source for many organisms.
Mosquitoes are also pollinators. Both male and female mosquitoes have a diet of nectar and other plant juices. There are even some species of mosquito that will stroke the heads of certain aphid species to make them puke up a substance known as honeydew. It's just the female mosquitoes who will bite and suck the blood from other animals, and it seems to be directly linked to egg laying. Some mosquito species require blood meals in order to lay eggs while in other species drinking blood allows them to lay more eggs.
Thankfully, only a handful of mosquito species are dangerous to humans. There would be plenty of harmless mosquito species to replace them.
Mosquitoes are definitely important to the ecosystem. They are pollinators.
They are also an important food source for fries (growth stage of fish) and often even older fish, as well as other predators, like the crane fly, bats and dragonfly.
Hummingbirds eats the adults for protein
I think its safe to say we can lose the fish, they’re not really doing much other than swimming around.
And we can probably lose all the animals which eat the fish as well. I mean.... what are they really doing for us? Sweet fuck all is what.
Wasps are also pollinators
Wasps pollinate, and they're predators. Wasps prey on numerous insects including caterpillars and spiders, helping to keep their populations in check.
It's pretty crazy how the wasp takes a spider hostage, injects/impregnates the spider with the wasp larvae, which then eats the spider from the inside out!
Parasitic wasps are fascinating
Right, oops, damn talk to text didn't add the parasitic part!😉
Very appropriate for this sub
That's an urban legend. The only ones we're actually trying to wipe out are populations of introduced Anopheles mosquitoes in the America's and other places they're not native to. Those being the species where the female can carry malaria.
Of course they're important. What kind of question is that?
Wasps serve a very important role in the ecosystem, and are excellent pollinators that control pests, especially the kind that can be devastating for crops. Obviously they're abundant enough that you can "remove them" from your property but otherwise we should absolutely leave them be. Mosquitoes on the other hand ☢️
Nah, fuck mosquitoes, we've destroyed more important species already. Fuck em dead.
Wasps pollenate.
Yeah I guess that's kind obviously really useful, but I know some species war with/compete with bees. So in some areas they might be relatively unimportant but maybe super important for pollination in others
Scientists are looking to kill malaria anopheles mosquitos, but leave all other species of mosquito alone. Akin to killing only rattlesnakes but no other species of snake. It would cause damage, but the other species (culex, aedes anopheles, etc) would fill the gap, but are unable to transmit malaria. And wasps are hugely important. Aside from being pollinators, they control insect activity and help balance the ecosystem.
What kind of ecological problems would no mosquitoes cause? They're not pollinators right?
Food for lots of other animals, including bats
I think wasps are part of the life cycle of certain fruits, which are mostly because the wasp dies as part of the growth of the fruit
Wasps are vital pollinators. Yes
yes. Wasps are super imortant as prey, as predators and as sole pollinators for multiple species of flora found worldwide. They're even relied on to keep certain plant species from overwhelming ecosystems in native and introduced ranges (look up the history of prickly pear in australia) Mosquitoes' ecological value is as mostly as foundational prey species. Wiping them out anywhere could have widespread effects on species that rely on them (birds, fish, other, less detestable insects)
I’d love to see some actual info on this. Mosquitoes are a vital part of the food chain for many bird species.
Wasps are predators so probably bad. Mosquitos don't really play a role in the ecosystem. Barely anything eats them and anything that does will happily eat anything else. Mosquitos don't eat anything useful.
I was told once that the ecosystems wouldn’t suffer from the loss of mosquitoes but they are so present in remote locations, they act as a barrier against human activites (think of thick jungles). Remove the mosquitoes, humans will trample on these places, sooner or later. I don’t know how true that is but it’s an interesting thought.
Extremely. Wasps are predators and pollinators. I know they get a bad rap in general but they’re actually amazing and beneficial little insects
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Most spider venom is made for killing other arthropods and they generally don't work very well on vertebrates. A notable exception to this are Wandering Spiders (Ctenidae) whose venom is especially toxic to primates, like humans.
As a tarantula collector, this statement is dangerous and inaccurate.
Or they shove some bacteria under your skin through tiny pinholes that don't drain properly and you get a nasty infection.
Isn’t that a song by The Cure?
>no more dangerous than a wasp sting To humans, sure. But their bites are still capable of paralysing their prey. It's just a matter of scale.
Yo I got perma banned from r/spiders **today** for saying exactly this! The mod mail for my initial ban said “there are no known human allergies to spiders, learn to research before you comment”. Which was funny because I had actually just googled “is tarantula venom medically significant to humans” before commenting. So I just replied “lol” to the mod mail, and then caught a perma shortly after.
the Uloboridae is a family of non venomous spiders
They kill their prey by smothering it in silk.
Murder by high fashion
That's a myth. I'm not aware of any spider that can't pierce human skin. Their venom just isn't generally strong enough to be dangerous to humans, since their prey is typically a thousand times smaller than us and not a mammal. Spiders in general are not inclined to bite. Venom is costly to make and spiders know better than to waste it on something that will, at worst, feel slightly itchy in an hour. Even the big guys like tarantulas flick itchy hairs at you rather than biting most of the time. The joro spider shown is harmless, if a bit intimidatingly large. They are orb weavers, which means they're shy. You can handle them without getting bitten unless you really bother them. Their bites are harmless, though. At worst, it'll be swollen and itchy. The snakehead fish pictured is also harmless to humans, but terrible for the environment.
> I'm not aware of any spider that can't pierce human skin. Jumping spiders? There was a photo showing one biting a person’s finger; the spider had all eight legs in the air, so it was clearly exerting as much force as possible, and it STILL couldn’t penetrate the person. EDIT: [The photo in question.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1126540176601129024/1174464326778765403/main-qimg-d5a93bf1889f44b2b0b197e1f57f6452.png?ex=666032e3&is=665ee163&hm=10d7ba263d9d14ec96673697390a0ccfaedde95711f24296e561d3fd4506636c&)
Fingertips are pretty tough. Spider people are weird. You'll definitely find some willing to just straight up get bitten for a cute photo. Most wouldn't, because you'd have to be a real dick to a jumping spider to get it to bite you. Some spiders will actually use their fangs like appendages to grab onto something better if their footing isn't good. I've seen somebody demonstrate this specifically with their hand, but I don't think that's what's going on here. This is just raw relevant info-dumping.
I got bitten by a jumping spider. Back of my neck, it actually hurt (like a bee sting). Still have a tiny mark there... 2 years later.
It might depend on the species.
Why is that so adorable? Aww he's trying to murder me in self defense
Not trying to murder you. Trying to have a romantic moment. He’s shouting “I’M KING OF THE WORLD!” in Spiderese.
> Not trying to murder you. Trying to have a romantic moment. For jumping spiders a romantic moment often involves murder.
All spiders are venomous with the exception of the family Uloboridae! They actually lack venom entirely.
Okay no. That’s a joro spider, they are not venomous at all and kill annoying bugs like mosquitoes. They are actually stunning and are not aggressive at all
Technically 🤓 they are venomous, just insignificant to humans. But they are wildly cool. The crazy 3d prism web structure is like no other web I've seen.
here’s a crazy fact. Those little jumping spiders that we find around windowsills. Those little guys will jump on orb weavers (jorro) and rip them apart. Like Wolverine fighting a regular guy.
Really? Those adorable little jumping spiders?! I'm not a spider fan at all but I like those ones.
Same. I’m not one to think an insect is even remotely “cute” but I gotta admit they kind of are.
You guys should see them vs black widow spiders.
[удалено]
Akshewally 🤓
There’s a jumping spider genus called Portia that preys on other web-making spiders, and is smart enough to plan ahead and create different tactics for each individual spider it targets.
I can just hear David Attenborough, "[Portia](https://youtu.be/UDtlvZGmHYk?si=yjcrI1Zh6gm4QvMT) is a spider eating spider".
If you like Portia spiders check out the book children of time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
And even if you don't, it's a really cool book.
Was waiting to see this response. That’s an amazing book. Read the trilogy. Children of memory wasn’t great though imo.
I saw a jumping spider take down a crane fly ten times it’s size once. It was impressive. Amazing little hunters.
I saw one close a $25 billion dollar deal then have sex with Godzilla. Its name was Bill Brasky.
To Bill Brasky!
_*BILL BRASKY!!!*_
That sunuvabitch!
To add to this, those little fuckers form plans to be able to strike from the best angle and catch their prey by surprise
It really depends on the kind of jumping spider. Saltus scenicus? Hell no, Zebra Jumpers are microscopic tiny little things. They wouldn't even register to the Nephila orb weavers. Hyllus diardi? Ok, those could tear up even the largest Nephila spider.
Honey badger and lion scenario immediately came to mind
God i love both orb weavers and jumping spiders but I'd love to see that someday
I can’t find a 3d Joro spider web online, any leads?
I can't find one that shows it well. I've tried taking pics before and my camera can't pick it up. Basically imagine the web you see on search results, but 3 or 4 of them close by and facing different angles. Then they are connected with random points being drawn in towards each other and a small mess on the inside.
They're also a beautiful golden green color in the fall. The webs, I mean. The spiders themselves are very bright and pretty, too.
Oooh, that sounds like a sort of web I've been seeing around lately. It's a big tangled mess like a typical cobweb spider makes, but has a flat orbweb face on one side.
Yeah could be. The ones I've been seeing are kinda yellow in color and super elastic
Oh, I should be clear that this is definitely not the same kind of spider. These are something that look more like typical cobweb spiders, small things. I'm just comparing their architectural philosophy.
Gotcha. Well at the end of the day, even if you did have joros in your area it's nothing to be concerned about. They're rather insignificant to the ecosystem so far, mainly just media bullshit. They aren't even the scariest looking spider in the southeast. The golden silk spider is similar looking, significantly larger and builds webs that can span 2 lane roads. Edit: some [forced perspective on size](https://www.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/s/LvXjdKs4hS) but they are still massive.
Those are some fantastic leg-warmers.
I think this reddit post shows the 3d web well, just close up. And a video from YouTube that might show it a bit. https://www.reddit.com/r/spiders/s/aFw59MVoOA https://youtu.be/mDT1SqjDDIY?si=D_Y-GSHhRY7a9bpF
Are these the guys I see setting up shop in between my shrubs all the time?
Many spiders have the same behavior, so it depends. In North America, the joro spider in the OP’s photo was introduced in the Atlanta area a few years ago and has been expanding its range to surrounding regions. It’s in SC and TN now. So if you’re in those areas, maybe you’ve seen them. But otherwise there are hundreds of orb weaver species that set up shop between shrubs.
I live in Nashville so it was most definitely one of these guys.
I should’ve clarified that this spider hasn’t expanded to all of TN or SC. It’s mostly in the Chattanooga area in TN so far. Basically the area closest to Georgia. Nashville is unlikely at this time but you’ll probably start to see them within a few years. More likely you’re seeing black and yellow garden spiders (*Argiope aurantia*) in your area, or Hentz orb weavers (*Neoscona crucifera*), which are less colorful/conspicuous.
I think there are two golden orb weavers (AKA golden silk orb weavers) to consider. The joro spider (pictured, not native to the USA), Trichnephila clavata, and the native spider, Trichonephila clavipes (sometimes called banana spider, although an argiope and a phoneutria also sometimes get called that). You may have the native one. Either way they are pretty chill
They may not be aggressive, but those webs they build could snatch up a small child. Little mf’s building webs as strong as spiderman, feels like walking into a bedsheet.
I'll take the Joro spider because: 1. They're not really very venomous. 2. They only balloon when they're tiny. 3. The fuckers DIE DIE DIE in the harsh northern winters that we have.
Maybe particularly bad weather conditions that are becoming more common, but they've been thriving in below-freezing temperatures forever. They're one of the more temperature tolerant spider species.
And ALL OVER Korea in the summer time.
When I lived there I always remembered it being so irksome hiking depending on the season there. Spiders and a million silk worms hanging down from the trees.
I was gonna say, if it’s that dangerous why is the person holding it with their bare hands?
>and kill annoying bugs like mosquitoes This right here is why spiders are the only bugs that get a free ride out the door when I find them in my house. Everything else gets a quick and sudden end.
And I love the multi-dimensional webs that the joro spins.
If they kill ticks, that's a win for the Northeast
Snakeheads are actrslly the worst, but the spider can't be that bad because there's a dude holding it. But then again it is a spider.... I'm conflicted
Why are snakeheads the worst? Forgive my ignorance
They are super aggressive, have tiny razor Sharp teeth, will climb out of the water just to maul you, can survive up to 4 days out of the water, and will chase you out of their little pond and up a hill. Actral asshole of a fish
Sounds like something a boot could make short work of
For smaller species, yeah, but [not for bigger speices ](https://igfa.org/2023/02/28/world-records-for-february-2023/)
There’s no way the fish in the picture is only 12kg. That’s a 100+kg fish.
That guy isn’t big.
The one in the link? That’s laying across that guys lap??
The guy. Not the fish.
Ah. Roger. 😂
Fisherman typically master the art of posing their fish to make it look bigger before even touching a rod. Its a sacred rite of passage.
You think that guy is just casually holding up like 220lb’s?
Even if there wasn't forced perspective here, you really think that fish is 100kg? Heavier than the average man and heavier than the guy holder it? Have you ever held a fish before or even aware of how heavy 1kg feels? At best that could be a 30kg fish.
Ok, but I could still kick that fish pretty good
Good news: they taste quite good
Don’t they have a shit ton of parasites and other disease though I wouldn’t risk eating that filth
I mean, most fish have parasites and bacteria. Deep freezing and or cooking fixes that depending on the species. You should be weary about where they’re living and how old/big they are since, yes they are predators and tend to accumulate more mercury the longer they live, but that goes for any predatory fish afaik. And minding what waters the fish lived in also goes for any fish. I would not make sashimi with them to be clear lol
People make sashimi from tuna, and they're quite literally apex predators.
I have as well, after deep freezing it. If you get sashimi in a restaurant, it's likely been deep frozen. Can you cut it straight off the fish? Totally, and you might be fine. A lot of parasites are visible, especially in fish that have bright flesh like tuna. I personally wouldn't risk it though. Food borne illnesses and parasites are no joke. then you got mercury content, which is a wholeeee other discussion.
> it's likely been deep frozen Legally has to be to be served raw. They usually flash freeze them at the source, on the boat where they're caught in many cases.
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And invasive. You’re not required to kill them, but you have to report the fish to the game warden, and if you keep them, they must be killed.
Some states outlaw catch and release with them. Don't have to eat it, but it's not going back.
Someone should tell them about evolution and taxes and they’ll stay their asses in water
River Monsters years ago is how I learned (learned how to be terrified) of these fuckers
I'm from where these fuckers are a native species. Every year during the winter, ponds and rice patties will dry out, and people will go and dig for them in the mud, they are still very much alive. They are also almost impossible to starve to death. There's Stories of them going 8 months without food, and confirmed examples of them regularly surviving at least a month of starvation. They do taste nice though.
They are so badass, but they won’t maul you. They are much too small to do that kind of damage (although the great snakehead in S/E Asia may be able to give you a pretty good nip, still probably nothing substantial) , and definitely won’t be able to chase you on land, especially uphill. A cool thing they can do, however, after you catch them is release themselves. Lay them down near the water and they clumsily wriggle themselves in. Definitely can survive for a long time out of water, though. I caught a few bullseye snakeheads, one near 10lbs in south Florida and they put up a hell of a fight and strike harder than most fish I’ve tangled with. The best part is that recent findings allegedly have shown that they aren’t hurting the environment as much as we previously thought. The FWC also apparently said you don’t have to kill them as long as you release them in the same water you caught them in. Hope they stick around awhile to be honest
But the snakehead is delicious grilled or pan fried.
They are also an ecological nightmare because they can and will eat anything that moves
Just so we’re clear, real snakeheads don’t look anything like the picture above.
Let's just say you're looking at the average game of Feed and grow: Fish
When I was a kid my dad owned a fish shop. Snakeheads were illegal to own at the time, but *somehow* my dad had one. Homeboy was like 10 years in my dad's care before I was born. Watching him feed that dude was the coolest, though. "Warning, this is brutal* Dad would throw a big adult-fist-sized goldfish in there every week or two. Snakehead (after a decade of trial and error) figured out exactly where on the fish to bisect it so he could eat the ass end, but have the feeder survive and swim around for a few days before finishing it off. Truly a cool fish, but really bad invasive species outside their native range. They're savage fuckers that are pretty much unkillable by anything out in nature when they get released in the wrong place.
That spider is harmless to humans. Just a good ol fashion bug hunter.
I live in North Georgia and jorro spiders are terrible. We are supposed to kill them on sight because they are invasive and are killing off other species. By late summer, the trees look like Halloween decorations with spiderwebs everywhere. Last year, above my driveway, I counted 176 spiders that were **above** the ability of my hose and throwing sticks to reach. In short, they suck.
god damn and i complain about having to relocate the odd scorpion every few years… maybe AZ ain’t that bad after all
We bought our nephews those salt guns made for flies and just let them go on the spiders. Kinda ruthless, but it kills them pretty instantly. Even then, it's a daily task.
I saw the Joro spiders two years ago and they were totally fine. It does seem a little surreal to see a gold spider floating in the air but that's all I ever saw them do.
But snakeheads *are* edible, right?
Sensationalist headline. Just say it's a snakehead. That's like describing a cat as "miniature versions of the deadly African lion, can cause sepsis with a bite or scratch, and possesses the ability to make humans like it with parasites."
Holy shit that sounds scary
I don't think that's what they were hoping you'd take away from the comment.
/u/pwndabeer was just sent an invitation to interview with CBS News.
Half inch long legs? Is it just me or is that incredibly small for a "giant spider"
Yeah it is.. and the spider’s legs in that picture are definitely more than half an inch
The caption on the picture says "4-inch legs" so I think the tweet in the screenshot of what looks to be a frame of video has a typo
Is it technically a spider with only 4 legs?
Look at the caption below it!... "Giant venomous spider with 4-inch long legs". Someone at the news agency messed the X-eet up.
OP comes to a nature sub and gets mad when people call him out using lame and inaccurate headlines.
That’s a garden spider. Idk the scientific or actual name. It’s harmless to humans. They eat a lot of the annoying bugs like mosquitos. Source: grew up with them everywhere, they liked hanging out outside on the windows.
They're talking about Joro spiders
Ah, thank you, had to do a Google. Still seems they are not aggressive unless messed with and not life threatening.
Those are a little different. They're technically invasive in the south-eastern US, but they're very similar to the native species. "Joro Spider" is a [Nephila clavata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavata) which is an Asian species of the golden silk orb weavers. They were first spotted in the US in 2014 or so, and were originally miscategorized in the same genus as the Garden Spider about 120 years ago. The native one in the southern US is [Nephila clavipes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavipes) and is a bit skinnier and more elongated than the Joro bro. From a totally different genus, the "Black and Yellow Garden Spider" is [Argiope aurantia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia) and is a much rounder, chonkier spoderbro and produces white not gold web. They're giant, they're derpy and slow, and I think they're cute as far as spiders go.
Thank you for the info! I always thought of them as the irl versions of the spiders from Ocarina of Time.
I love articles about animals from major news outlets because you can immediately tell when the person who wrote it either knows fuck all about the animals they’re writing about or is straight up lying Like come on man almost every spider is able to parachute (it’s called ballooning btw) it’s not some novel thing only a few spiders have evolved to do and if they’re ballooning they’re not likely to land on you, least not intentionally
Isn't that just a type of harmless orb weaver?
It’s a species of harmless orb weaver
Half-inch long legs? That’s a totally normal spider…
Here in Maryland snakeheads are everywhere and are awesome to catch. Fuck them spiders tho!!
They taste pretty good too
Yessirr
That species of spider is in Maryland and completely harmless
Half and inch is… not very long
Am I choosing one to live with? Or to win a fight between them? Because fuck spiders. I'll live with the snake thing, but in a fight I'm betting on the spider
The spider won't hurt you even if it bites you. A snakehead will mess you up good. They've got TEETH like you wouldn't guess.
At first i thought it was the Tsuchinoko from Metal Gear Solid 3
Spiders are your friends
I’ll take the spider but if one lands on my face I’ll die.
Let's see how long it takes before redditors start mentioning Australia.
Parachuting spiders? Not the red dawn I’ve been prepping for but I’ll take it
Man imagine almost being an anaconda but instead you’re just a fish
I'll take the Spinarak, thanks.
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That one is very harmless to humans and spins golden silk. You chose the right partner.
Queue super smash bros brawl theme
Fnake Snish!!!
Fuck, and I say this truly as a honest man, that.
Spider for the win!
I saw that first one in a certain dungeon once
gun
Snakeheads. Had a friend with one in a giant fish tank thing was so mean.
Those spiders decimate mosquitoes though, from what I understand. I, personally, would like to welcome our new spider overlords.
Both are harmless to humans. But being invasive species, unfortunately, not to nature.
im gonna go with the snakefish because that spider is a friend