Creepy crawlies give many the jitters.
But coming across an especially large one on your daily walk may result in quite a shock.
Yuge spider
Mothership reader Thor Choy was making her way home after work on Jan. 22 when she was abruptly brought out of her musings by a spider at Cashew Crescent.
Not just any spider, but this absolutely monster hanging off a tree near the pathway.
Here's what it looks like.
Photo from Thor Choy / FB
Photo from Thor Choy / FB
Choy attempted to use her hand for comparison, but, very understandably so, was too afraid to move any closer to the "extremely big spider".
Here are some of her attempts:
Photo from Thor Choy / FB
Photo from Thor Choy / FB
Choy revealed that she often encounters other wildlife like wild boars, macaques and squirrels as her house was located near Dairy Farm Nature Park.
This was the first time however, that she had spotted such a spider, and she described it as an "eye-opener".
Not uncommon
Considering their huge size, it's ironic how often these spiders are overlooked.
Golden orb-weavers are actually not uncommon in Singapore, and can be found in nature areas like Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve.
Golden orb-weavers are so named due to the yellow colours of their webs. Their webs are pretty large, and can reach diameters of up to 1.5m.
Sometimes these webs are so huge and the silk threads so strong that small birds and bats can become ensnared and subsequently fed upon.
Here's a clearer photo of the species Choy saw, Nephila pilipes.
Photo from Lip Kee / Flickr
The huge spiders you see are actually the females only.
There's a huge size difference between males and females, which is known as sexual dimorphism.
Females can grow up to 20cm in length, while males can be four to 10 times smaller.
This is what the male looks like, hitching a ride on the abdomen of the female.
Photo from Frank Starmer / FB
Very cool.
Top photo from Thor Choy / FB