According to experts and critics alike, the new spider is not as terrifying as some media have made it out to be.
People freaked out after learning that the giant blue, black and yellow arachnids known as the Joro spider are about to land on the East Coast.
Tea Francis is a science communicator and aspiring arachnologist.
The Joro spider has been in the United States for decades, but it originated in East Asia, according to Francis. The Americas also have their own indigenous orb weavers called Trichonephila clavipes, which are more commonly known as golden silk orb weavers, and now live everywhere from the US to Argentina.
Francis wrote that this type of spider is common in North America, but they are also harmless and won't grow into full-grown adults when they float down to Earth. The parachuting of these spiders makes them hatchlings, which was seen in the popular children's book Charlotte's Web.
I have worked with several of this type of species and I can tell you that they are very polite.
The range is expanding, but there are already very similar spiders in these areas.
Francis isn't the only expert who is trying to clear the air about these spiders. In an interview with UGA Today, Andy Davis, one of the researchers behind the study that introduced everyone to the spiders, said that the animal doesn't like Georgia.
He told the University of Georgia's newspaper that people should try to live with them.
Journalists and spider enthusiasts alike are pushing back on the Joro reporting and poking fun at the spider-loving backlash as well. Here are some of our favorites.
i wish it wasn’t socially acceptable to print baseless scary stories about arthropods but in the grand scheme of journalistic malpractice, it’s low on the list. better than copaganda and war mongering i guess. anyway here’s some good info on joro spidershttps://t.co/OjFs8xmVk8
— troy farah (@filth_filler) March 10, 2022
Joro spiders are not "invading" or "infiltrating." These morally charged words are inappropriate. They are simply here now. They are harmless and there is no evidence they are a threat to any native species. Also, they are beautiful. Chill out, people. pic.twitter.com/jWoKH1zPL9
— Emma Marris (@Emma_Marris) March 9, 2022
aight I don't have the energy to engage with all the Joro spider fearmongering so for reference:-spiders this big ALREADY live on the east coast, eg Argiope-99% of spiders' venom (Joro included) is medically insignificant
-the only ones at risk are native spiders MAYBE
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