Golden Orb-weaver
These are the ginormous spiders we had to dodge while on safari. They are abundant in South Africa and they are huge - at least about the size of your fist. While they are completely docile their sheer size is a little frightening.
When we encountered wildlife on our daily game drives we would frequently drive off road and through the "bush" - and I mean that quite literally. Sometimes we would drive over bushes and trees to get that close encounter with an animal and quite frequently between bushes were these mammoth spider webs. If you caught one of the anchor lines it was like fishing line it was so strong.
We got to be pretty good at dodging and ducking as we drove through these webs with the spiders in them. On the front of our safari truck was a large stick pointing up acting as a "web catcher". Sometimes it would work well other times not so much and a spider would end up dangling over our heads or in our laps. Not necessarily a good time if you're an Arachnophobic.
Aside of the scariness they are pretty cool creatures to admire with their size and their vivid coloring.
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