According to experts, the Joro — a 3-inch invasive spider species from Japan — will likely soon blanket the entire east coast of the United States. Joros were originally spotted in the United States in Georgia, and it is unknown how the species first made its way here; however, most experts guess that it likely arrived stowed away inside a shipping container.
According to reports, The spider is much larger than the average spider, commonly reaching up to 3 inches in diameter, and can float around in the air using a parachute made from its webbing material. The species has largely been contained to the southeastern portion of the United States since its arrival;
however, researchers now believe that the spider is much more resistant to cold temperatures than previously believed, and thus find it likely that the spider will soon proliferate at least throughout the eastern seaboard, given the lack of natural predators here in the states and the ease with which the spider travels.
“So in our experiment, we exposed them to a brief period of cold only for a couple of minutes at below-freezing temperatures and most of the Joros did just fine,” Andy Davis, co-author of the study and a research scientist Odum School of Ecology, The University of Georgia.
Researchers have found the spiders can travel using their webs like balloons or parachutes to ride the wind. But it’s unknowing humans who will spread them quicker. “We had a Joro being found in Oklahoma, we tracked the person who made the observation and it turn out it was a student from here,” Davis said.
Joros don’t appear to have much of an effect on local food webs or ecosystems, said Davis. And as menacing as the big spiders look, experts say they’re scaredy cats and you’re highly unlikely to be bitten by one.
