Spider goes batty for dinner snack


A Golden Orb Weaver spider estimated to be 13cm from "leg to leg" has snared a tasty treat in its tensile web at a Tablelands holiday lodge.

The spider was snapped wrapping up a small bat by Kingfisher Park Birdwatcher's Lodge co-owner Carol Iles.

On the Lodge's Facebook page, Ms Iles wrote: 

"Golden Orb Weaver spiders have appeared in good numbers after several years' absence," the post read.

"This is the largest one we've found on the property and bat was on the menu! Close by is the roost site of our 'pet' Eastern Horseshoe Bat so we were relieved to check and find it still hanging around."

The venom of Golden Orbs is not lethal to humans, but can cause localised pain, redness, and blisters that normally disappear within a 24-hour period.