Photo: Adi Rozen-Zvi

This is no macro shot

Of a small spider

Up close,

But a photo of one

That is bigger than most.

Sized to barely fit

In the palm of a man,

It clung to a web

That could use

A steadier hand.

For the Lens-Artists Challenge: Big

Trivia: Giant Golden Orb Weavers (Nephilia Pilipes) are named for the way their intricate webs shimmer in the light. Females can grow to 20 centimeters (8 inches!!) in size and have a long slim, black body with golden spots on their back, and long skinny legs (the males are about 10 times smaller, sorry guys). Female Giant Golden Orb Weavers can build gigantic webs that can span 2 meters (6-7 feet!!) across, often between large trees, where they can be seen resting on their webs and protecting their territory (yep, that’s exactly what the photo we took above depicts). They bite their prey to immobilize it, and though their bite is not dangerous to humans, if you do get bitten by one of these mega-spiders, I cannot guarantee that you will not have LOTR-style nightmares of massive arachnids coming to get you.