Araneus gemmoides Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 Discussion

cat-faced spider

Comments on September 9, 2007 Observation

Mike R Hixson
49.8522, -119.6631
1

Submitted: September 10, 2007 at 11:14:38 PM MST

I think it's a female but don't know how to tell. It is about 1 1/2" in the body and the biggest spider I've ever seen outside a pet shop or zoo. It has 2 prominant humps on the abdomen and was busy wrapping / eating a cricket type of bug when my daughter found it under my overhang. Scary bugger but I don't think it is harmful to humans.

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David P. Shorthouse wrote on September 11, 2007 at 11:27:25 AM MST

Mike: You're correct, it is a female. The males are often hard to come by at this time of year and are quite a bit smaller than the females. Check out the FAQs linked from the WebWatch homepage where you get a brief description on how to tell males and females apart. Indeed, the cat-faced spider is docile. If severly provoked, it may on occasion bite, but the effects are similar to a mild wasp sting and last 2-3 days at most. I don't think it's scary at all! In fact, it's a joy to watch if you happen to be able to see it from inside the house. She'll lay 1-2 egg sacs and the spiderlings will hatch mid-spring, will catch the breeze with a strand of silk and will balloon away to your neighbours house :)~