🔍 Golden Silk Orb-weaver | Trichonephila clavipes 🕷️
📍 Alajuela, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
💬 This spider spins silk with a natural golden sheen so strong that researchers have woven it into experimental textiles — and a single female can build a web over a meter wide in just one night.
Fauna
Golden Silk Orb-weaver | Trichonephila clavipes
Basic ID
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN)
Coloration
Silvery-gray cephalothorax, black legs with rust-orange brush tufts, olive-black elongated abdomen with yellow spots
Lifespan
About 1 year
Size
Length
Body 24-40mm (females); males much smaller
Weight
Up to ~3g (females)
Wingspan
Habitat & Behavior
Native Range
Southern United States to Argentina
Habitat Type
Forests and wooded areas, low shrubs near forest edges
Diet
Small to medium flying insects
Activity Pattern
Sedentary web-based predator, active day and night