Those massive yellow and blue-black spiders that are spreading across the Southeast and could eventually head up the East Coast are actually not scary, according to researchers in a new study who call the spiders gentle giants.
The Joro spider may be the shyest spider ever documented, the University of Georgia arachnid scientists found in the study.
“One of the ways that people think this spider could be affecting other species is that it’s aggressive and out-competing all the other native spiders,” said Andy Davis, lead author of the study and a research scientist in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology.
“So we wanted to get to know the personality of these spiders and see if they’re capable of being that aggressive,” Davis added. “It turns out they’re not.”
The researchers compared more than 450 spiders’ responses to a brief and harmless disturbance across 10 different species.
While most spiders froze for less than a minute before resuming their normal activities, the Joro spiders remained motionless for more than an hour.
“They basically shut down and wait for the disturbance to go away,” Davis said. “Our paper shows that these spiders are really more afraid of you than the reverse.”
In fact, Joros are relatively harmless to people and pets. Joros won’t bite unless cornered.
And even if you did manage to somehow annoy a Joro into biting you, its fangs likely wouldn’t be large enough to pierce your skin.
Officially known as Trichonephila clavata, the East Asian Joro spider first arrived in Georgia around 2013. The species is native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, and likely hitched a ride stateside on a shipping container.
The species has since rapidly spread across the state and much of the Southeast. Joro spiders easily number in the millions now.
Davis’ previous research suggested the invasive arachnids could spread beyond their current habitats and through most of the Eastern Seaboard up to New England.
“Most people think ‘invasive’ and ‘aggressive’ are synonymous,” said Amitesh Anerao, co-author of the study and an undergraduate researcher at the university. “People were freaking out about the Joro spiders at first, but maybe this paper can help calm people down.”
The researchers believe the Joro spiders’ shyness may help them better endure the barrage of noise, vibrations and visual stimuli they consistently encounter in urban settings. Their prolonged freeze response to being startled could help conserve the Joro spiders’ energy.
Arachnophobes can take solace in the Joro spiders’ meek and gentle temperament. But the spiders are likely here to stay.
“They’re so good at living with humans,” Anerao said, “that they’re probably not going away anytime soon.”