Bird-Eating Spider

Add the Golden Silk Orb-Weaver spider to the list of creepy crawlies found in Australia, as the images above show one of them with their black legs wrapped around the body of a dead bird suspended in its web. The shots were captured in Atheron, close to Queensland’s tropical north. “It uses its venom to break down the bird for eating and what it leaves is a food parcel. It builds a very strong web,” said Joel Shakespeare, head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park. Continue reading for another video and more information.

The Australian golden silk orb-weaver (Nephila edulis) has been observed on windy, rainy days dismantling the lower part of its web to allow strong wind to flow through a large opening in the web without breaking it. Golden Orb Weavers are known to occasionally eat prey as big as small birds, and even snakes.

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