Calling all arachnaphobiacs. There's a new invasive spider in South Carolina that might make you want to run for the hills - but don't because it's thought that the spider is making its way into the Palmetto State from Georgia by way of Greenville. For now, it might be better to run for the coast!
The good news is that even though the female sex of the Joro Spider (a.k.a. Trichonephila clavata and pronounced jaw-row) has a leg span that measures anywhere from six to eight inches, it's relatively harmless and not venomous at all.
We'll explain shortly what we mean by "relatively harmless."
The Joro Spider originated in Japan and is thought to have stowed away, so to speak, in shipping containers to make the trip to where it was first spotted several years ago in Georgia. (If you'd like a size contrast, the lady Joro below is devouring a grasshopper.)
Joro Spiders spend all winter long as eggs and then hatch into tiny little spiders in the spring. They spend the coming months eating and growing to reach that massive female leg span of up to eight inches. The males mature to slightly more than a third of that size. What do they eat??
Well that's the other good news! Scientists are waiting and watching but predict the Joro Spider could put a real hurt on the Stink Bug population in the U.S.
As this gigantic spider makes its way across the state, you'll want to be on the lookout for it and its enormous and elaborate web. The web alone is up to three yards wide and has three layers. It really could be the stuff nightmares are made of.
And now the bad news. It's not a particularly aggressive spider but it is known to bite. And while that bite isn't venomous... it reportedly hurts!
So it would seem that whether you like spiders, don't like spiders, or just don't care either way, you'll definitely want to stay far away from this new invasive spider in South Carolina.
Have you spotted one yet? We'd love to know!
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