Wildlife of the Caribbean: golden silk orb weaver aka the banana spider

Hi Steemians!

Let me introduce you to another interesting creature that is commonly found in the tropical forests here in the Caribbean, the golden silk orb weaver, colloquially known as the banana spider.

^{Click on the image for full view}

The banana spider is a genus of large tropical spiders with many species native to not only Central America but also most other tropical regions all over the world.

The banana spiders vary greatly in size and coloration but there is one thing all species have in common – they all weave giant, impressive webs.

The banana spiders are also famous for being fierce predators, capable of catching and eating prey larger than themselves. They are known to have killed even birds and little snakes.

If I had known all of that when I was taking this close-up of the banana spider in a Costa Rican jungle last year, the photo would have been much more blurry I think :D

Fortunately, I managed to keep my hands pretty steady in that moment so I can now use this shot as my entry for today´s #animalphotography contest organized by Hive account@juliank and Hive account@photocontests.

Czech: Do dnešní #animalphotography jsem si připravil snímek pavouku rodu Nephilia (český název se mi nepodařilo najít), kterého jsem vyfotil loni v kostarické džungli. Jak jsem později zjistil, tihle krasavci jsou ve skutečnosti velmi drsní predátoři, kteří dokážou ulovit a sežrat i malého ptáka nebo hada. No ještě, že jsem to v tu chvíli nevěděl, jinak by ta fotka asi tak ostrá nebyla :D