This beautiful creature is the Golden Orb Spider. I think even arachnophobics can appreciate it's beauty. Luckily for them and humans in general, their venom is not dangerous to us. The same cannot be said for smaller creatures.
As is typical with most spider species the female is considerably larger than the male. It looks like the smaller spider at the top my photo could be a male. Males usually wait until the female is feeding or is in a non-threatening mood before approaching. This means that sexual cannabilism in this species is rare. They usually eat small insects such as flies, beetles and locusts, but because of their size and the strength of their web, they have also been known to eat bats and small birds.
This photo was taken by me 3 years ago in Costa Rica when I was over there on a wildlife conservation project. It was taken by a standard automatic camera - Canon Powershot SX120 IS.
This is my entry for #macrophotography contest hosted by
Enjoy