RobotBlogger

OMFG. This is a Golden Orb Weaver spider. It was in the back yard of a house we rented near the beach in Noosa (more on that later)

Ok, i'm not exaggerating, this thing is 8" across. Larger than a side plate. Bigger than a CD - quite a bit bigger - if it stretched it's legs out, it would be the size of a frisbee. It struck fear and terror into my bones, more than anything else has, perhaps ever.

Luckily, they're not poisonous. They're gentle giant, giant spiders. Very interestingly, they have one of the strongest web compound materials on the planet, and they maintain their giant webs for years. This guys particular web was the size of a small trampoline, strung between two trees which were far enough apart to drive a car through.

More on the web strength - it's one of the strongest elements there is. Not this particular guy, but in another web, i've seen sticks hanging freely in the air, trapped in their amazing stronger-than-kevlar web strands. Not twigs. Sticks.

This guy affected me. i had a dream about him last night, and we had a conversation about fermenting home brew alcohol (long story). Anyways, he was pretty laid back and cool, much like the real one i suppose.