Sleeping Garden Orb-weaver snapped at Cape Hillsborough

A non-AI generated image of what appears to be a freakishly large, spaceship-shaped spider on a Qld property has created quite a stir amid arachnid enthusiasts.

An image of what appears to be a large, hairy, snoozing spider has created quite a stir amid arachnid enthusiasts.
The photo was posted on a Facebook group dedicated to identifying Australian spiders by Cape Hillsborough resident Kim Smith, who was chasing an ID on her eight-legged neighbour.
Other members of the group were fast to give quirky answers based on the comical position in which the spider was photographed, including “old potato with legs”.

“He actually looks like that potato you leave in the cupboard too long it starts sprouting,” another wrote.

One person wrote “I believe that to be a Millennium Falcon” (referencing the iconic spaceship piloted by Star Wars’ Han Solo) to which another responded with, “you win the internet for the day with that comment”.

A photo of a folded Garden Orb-weaver was posted on a Facebook group dedicated to identifying Australian spiders by Cape Hillsborough resident Kim Smith.

While another wrote, “So she has some Christmas weight on her. No judgment here”.

Experts among the group however said the spider was a female Garden Orb-weaver, which were regarded as only mildly venomous to humans.

Garden Orb-weavers are found right across Australia and according to experts they work by night and rest during the day, folded up in an effort to hide from larger predators – helped also by their brown colouring.

“I love the way that orb-weavers fold up,” one woman said.

Each night they create a new web, which they then remove at dawn before starting the whole process again when the sun goes down.

“Watch him around dusk go out to build his web,” one commenter suggested.

“Garden orb. Their webs are huge and it’s amazing to watch them build,” another said.

Poster Ms Smith added, “For those asking about the size, she would be about 40mm across. That’s a standard star picket post and insulator next to her. So, she’s not as huge as you might think.”