Friday, November 13, 2009

Banana Spider


Banana Spider
Okefenokee Swamp National Refuge

Nikon D70
Nikkor AFS 70-300mm DX
Nikon SB-800

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a common garden spider, NOT a banana spider. Most commonly referred to as St. Andrew's Cross both for the zigzag in the center of the web and the way the legs of it form an X. They are harmless, unlike the banana spider aka Brazilian Wandering Spider which is quite poisonous

Anonymous said...

the person above me is misinformed. That is a picture of a Golden Silk spider, also known by us local Florida folk as a Banana Spider.
http://www.floridiannature.com/Spiders.htm
Great picture BTW!

Anonymous said...

ok i have read both comments on here and i need to know IS THIS A DANGEROUS SPIDER?? i have a 2 year old child and i need to know if he is in danger or not and if he is i will get rid of this creepy thing cuz i myself DO NOT do spiders.
thank you

challis said...

This is a black and yellow garden spider or argiope spider. Look for the zig-zag pattern at the center of the web. They are beautiful, beneficial and harmless.

Anonymous said...

is this a banana spider or not?!?!?!

Anonymous said...

Jeez folks - just do a simple look up on Wikipedia. That is not a 'banana spider', it's a common garden spider, and neither are dangerous - just creepy looking.

(Also, fyi, Brazilian Wandering spiders are poisonous, but are NOT banana spiders - we're talking about 3 different spiders. The one in this picture is a garden spider, and harmless.)

Anonymous said...

This is a spider known as "garden" or "writing" or "corn". This is NOT a banana spider. The biggest deciding factor in this is the web, and the position of the web.

Anonymous said...

I study and collect spiders for a living and let me just say that this is a banana spider. They are found mostly in the South and around swamp like areas. They are NOT dangerous or poisonous. In fact they are harmless and will not attack unless provoked ofcourse but I do not advise handling or catching them. Like all wild animals, they are still wild and can bite.

Anonymous said...

The biggest thing to worry about when it comes to banana spiders is the fact that there venom creates zombies.

If you have one outside and you have a two year old, you should probably get rid of it unless you want a zombie child.

Anonymous said...

actually it is a golden orb spider quite harmless although their bite is quite painful and they are venomous their venom doesn't affect humans they are classed as a gardeners friend as they eat the bugs that normally cause damage to the garden plants more information can be found here https://sites.google.com/site/zoologyscientificname/scientific-name-nephilia-clavipes

Anonymous said...

Nope not any more than a bee sting unlike it's more poisonous cousin the banana spider which has a longer, wider body. They are a "GOOD" spider, they catch other bugs in your garden.

Dp said...

The golden orb spider pictures above will not bite you or your child. They say out side and kill and eat the bugs outside. Not poisonous and will not go in to your home and are not aggressive.