Giant, venomous yellow spiders that invade the US East Coast may soon be arriving in southern Canada. Here’s everything you need to know about these spiders.
What is their name?
These invasive spiders are called “Zoro Spiders” native to East Asia. Normally, they stay in the Southeast, but many researchers predict a northward migration of the species as they adapt to cooler climates, NBC News reported.
Who do they look like?
These invasive spiders are mostly black and yellow in color and about the size of a hand.
Female Zoro spiders are yellow and black in color, with bodies about the size of a paper clip and legs that can extend up to 10 cm from side to side.
As for male Zorro spiders, these are smaller and brown in color.
Are they dangerous?
Zoro spiders are indeed venomous, but not dangerous, say researchers. A small fraction of them may contain venom that could seriously injure a human, Gustavo Hormica, a biology professor at George Washington University, told NBC News.
The bite of this spider is comparable to a bee sting.
Mr Harmika describes them as “very self-conscious” spiders. “They don’t want to bite you,” he continues.
However, you should be wary of their large spider webs. Their webs are nearly 1.5 meters wide for a single spider and up to 3.5 meters for many females.
Where do they live?
These spiders seem to survive in many different stages.
“Zorro spiders seem content to live at a gas station pump or a tree in the forest,” notes the researcher at the University of Georgia’s Odom School of Ecology.
According to Davis, these spiders don’t react strongly to noise or wind. Absent these reactions, they weave webs in surprising places like traffic lights. “Living in disturbed areas just like in natural areas doesn’t preclude them from living anywhere,” he says.
However, researchers don’t know when Zoro spiders arrive in northeastern or southern Canada.
