Just keep spinning, just keep spinning

A mesmerising encounter with a Golden Orb Spider

If you’ve heSee my golden web?

Never let it out of your sight

Watch how it shimmers and glows, in the light

Follow my silver haired, yellow belly

And my hypnotic black and yellow legs

As I dance along, the glistening threads,

Come rest your weary wings 

Moths, flies and beetles so red

Dream a golden dream and sleep like the dead.

Fun Facts

The Golden Orb Spider, also known as the Banana Spider, is so good at mesmerising and trapping prey that sometimes it catches too many in its web! But fear not, no prey is wasted. Tiny spiders called Quicksilver Spiders live on the same web and eat what the Banana Spider ignores. Whether you call them pirates, parasites or garbage removers, it’s a great example of how nothing is wasted in the Animal Kingdom.

Story of the Photo

Dilum was able to get up close to this gorgeous specimen in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve during a trek in late 2019. Although it loves rainforests, it can also be found in the cool and shady surroundings of Mahoora Tented Safari Camps in Sri Lanka...the spider that is…. and also Dilum.