Huge Golden orb weaver spider eating a bird. – Photos.

Golden orb weaver spider eating a Chestnut breasted mannikin. Photo credit Les Martin/Cairns.com.au

September 2009. Our apologies of those of you who have seen this before, it first appeared on the web late last year, but only just came to our attention.

The pictures were taken in the garden of Les Martin, who lives in Atherton in Queensland. Les noticed the bird, a chestnut breasted manikin, caught in the spider's web. He then saw the huge Golden orb weaver spider going to work on the bird. It is unusual for Golden orb spiders to eat birds, but not unheard of; their usual diet consists of large insects.

Golden orb weavers are so called due to the colour of the silk webs they weave, which can be very large. Allegedly their webs are used by fishermen in some parts of the worlds for catching fish in shallow seas. They are poisonous, but not deadly to humans.

Courtesy of www.cairns.com.au   Photos courtesy of Les Martin.