Fun Garden Orb Weaver Spider Facts For Kids

Christian Mba
Oct 20, 2022 By Christian Mba
Originally Published on Aug 06, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
Garden orb weaver spider facts about the spider species that wraps the prey in silk.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 4.7 Min

The Australian garden orb weaver spider of the family Araneidae has several genera. Black and yellow garden spiders, yellow garden spiders, golden yellow garden spiders are some of the common orb weavers. Captivity does not bode well to the orb weavers. Orb-weaving spiders very rarely bite. But if they do, their bites can cause some swelling and itchiness. These orb weavers do not go hunt for themselves. They prey only on what gets stuck in their silk webs. Sometimes their predators get stuck in their webs in the attempt to prey. Taking advantage of that, they prey on their predators in the webs.

Here are some of the most interesting facts about the garden orb weaver spider species for your perusal. Afterward, do check our other articles on flower crab spider and green lynx spider.

Garden Orb Weaver Spider Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a garden orb weaver spider?

A garden orb weaver spider of the family Araneida is a spider.

What class of animal does a garden orb weaver spider belong to?

A garden orb weaver spider is an arachnid under the kingdom of animals.

How many garden orb weaver spiders are there in the world?

The exact number of garden orb weaver spiders in the world is unknown. But there are over 2,800 species of these arachnids in the world. Hence, their population is not a cause of concern at present.

Where does a garden orb weaver spider live?

A garden orb weaver spider generally lives near human settlements in locations like porches, backyards, gardens.

What is a garden orb weaver spider's habitat?

Garden orb weaver spiders build webs of sticky silk to establish their homes. They build webs in between trees, walls, ground, man-made structures. These orb weavers are found in gardens, woodlands, grasslands, industrial sites, and many such structures.

Who do garden orb weaver spiders live with?

Garden orb weaver spiders live in packs with species of their own kind.

How long does a garden orb weaver spider live?

A garden orb weaver spider has a short lifespan and dies soon after mating. Orb weavers have a life expectancy of 12 months.

How do they reproduce?

Garden orb weavers lay eggs from summer to autumn. Males and females become sexually mature in summer. Males approach females’ webs to mate. After mating, females tend to eat males for nutrition. The female weaver lays eggs in an egg sac. This egg sac is then hidden by these garden spiders behind leaves until it hatches. The eggs hatch in a few weeks; until then, these eggs are protected from predators by the females.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of garden orb weaver spiders from the family Araneida is that of Least Concern as the population of orb weavers does not face any extinction threats.

Garden Orb Weaver Spider Fun Facts

What do garden orb weaver spiders look like?

Garden orb weaver spiders are most commonly reddish-brown or gray in color. They have eight legs, and all the legs are quite hairy. Their abdomen is flat and triangular in shape. In a few species, two humps are observed at the front of the abdomen, near the legs. They have a leaf-shaped pattern on their body. Some species have white or brown-colored dorsal strips, and orb weavers' legs are bent in the middle.

Orb weavers spin the prey caught in their webs with the help of silk.

How cute are they?

Garden orb weaver spiders are not cute. They are scary animals, and the garden orb weaver spider poisonous bite is quite painful. Children very rarely enjoy seeing them.

How do they communicate?

Garden orb weaver spiders communicate throttle vibrations in their silk orb webs. They also use their sense of touch and smell to share information about their prey. This species also uses chemical signals for communication.

How big is a garden orb weaver spider?

A garden orb weaver spider is a small to medium-sized spider. Their length ranges between 0.1-1.5 in (0.2-3.8 cm).  They are three times bigger than an ant.

How fast can garden orb weaver spiders move?

A garden orb weaver spider can move very fast. It can easily out beat an ant. Their actual moving speed has not yet been determined.

How much does a garden orb weaver spider weigh?

A garden orb weaver spider is very light in weight. It barely weighs anything. The big species can weigh up to 0.07 oz (1.98 gm). But the small species do not weigh even half of that.

What are the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are assigned to the males and females of the garden orb weaver spider species. They are known as male and female orb weavers, respectively.

What would you call a baby garden orb weaver spider?

A baby garden orb weaver spider is called a spiderling.

What do they eat?

Garden orb weaver spiders are carnivorous species. They feed on what gets trapped in their sticky silk orb webs. Their diet commonly includes insects, mosquitoes, beetles, moths, wasps, flies. The bigger species of garden orb weaver spiders also eat frogs and small birds if they get trapped in their sticky silk webs.

Are they poisonous?

The rumor of garden orb weaver spiders being poisonous is not really true. Their bites are not poisonous to humans. They might cause some discomfort but are not at all poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Garden orb weaver spiders are outdoor spiders. Many of them build big silk webs which cannot be accommodated in small spaces. You can keep them in your plants or backyards, but you have the risk of them fleeing away.

Did you know...

Cannibalism is widely observed in the orb-weaving spider species.

What are garden orb weaver spiders good for?

Garden orb weaver spiders are good for the gardens. They eat insects and pests from the gardens to keep the gardens clean. They are beneficial as they help in the healthy growth of the gardens by getting rid of insects.

Garden orb weaver spider bites

Garden orb weaver spiders are not active biters. Even if they bite, the toxicity for humans is negligible.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these whip spider facts and the southern house spider facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable garden orb weaver spider coloring pages.

Garden Orb Weaver Spider Facts

What Did They Prey On?

Insects, frogs, small birds

What Type of Animal were they?

Carnivores

Average Litter Size?

100-900 eggs

How Much Did They Weigh?

Up to 0.07 oz (1.98 gm)

What habitat Do they Live In?

gardens

Where Do They Live?

north america

How Long Were They?

0.1-1.5 in (0.2-3.8 cm)

How Tall Were They?

N/A

Class

Arachnida

Genus

Eriophora

Family

Araneidae

Scientific Name

Eriophora Transmarina

What Do They Look Like?

Reddish-brown

Skin Type

Exoskeleton

What Are Their Main Threats?

wasps, birds

What is their Conservation Status?

Least Concern
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Written by Christian Mba

Bachelor of Science specializing in Computer Science

Christian Mba picture

Christian MbaBachelor of Science specializing in Computer Science

Christian Mba is an experienced blogger and content writer with over a decade of experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Nigeria and has a keen interest in Python programming. Along with his writing and blogging expertise, he is also an SEO specialist with more than six years of experience. Chris, as he is commonly known, has a passion for music and enjoys playing the piano.

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