People up and down the entire US east coast may soon find themselves living with a large spider species that is a long way from its original home.
According to researchers at the University of Georgia, the Joro spider, an invasive species native to east Asia, is expected to spread after thriving in the state last year.
The spider, Trichonephila clavata, is known for its ability to spin highly organized, wheel-shaped webs. Females have blue, yellow and red markings and can measure up to 3inches when fully extended.
According to the new study, Joro spiders, which predominantly hail from Japan, will probably survive on the US east coast because Japan has a very similar climate and is located approximately on the same latitude.
“Just by looking at that, it looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the eastern seaboard here, which is pretty sobering,” said Andy Davis, a research scientist at the Odum School of Ecology and co-author of the study.
Last year, the spiders made their way through the yards of northern Georgia, spinning webs up to 3m deep. It is unclear how the spiders traveled from east Asia but researchers say their proliferation is probably due to changes in weather conditions.
Researchers found that the Joro has double the metabolism of a relative, the golden silk spider, which moved to the US south-east from the tropics 160 years ago. Unlike the golden silk spider, which has been unable to spread north due to its inability to withstand cold temperatures, the Joro has a 77% higher heart rate and can thus survive freezes that kill off its cousins.
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