Thomas Marent / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) female and smaller male, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Nick Garbutt / Giant Orb-web Spider {Nephila madagascariensis} Mantadia NP, Madagascar.

Bernard Castelein / Giant woodspider {Nephila maculata} on web with dew, Kaziranga NP, Assam, India

Pete Oxford / Nephila spider on backlit web, Ankarana Special Reserve, Madagascar

Mark Carwardine / Golden orb spider {Nephila imperialis} on neck of woman, used for production of spider silk, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Tony Phelps / Black-legged Golden Orb Spider (Nephila sp.), Female on web. deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

John Cancalosi / Female Golden orb web spider (Nephila clavipes) in web, Costa Rica

Piotr Naskrecki / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) male and much larger female mating, New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Piotr Naskrecki / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) pair mating, Papua New Guinea

Piotr Naskrecki / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) male spinning web on female to make sure he does not fall off, Papua New Guinea

Piotr Naskrecki / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) pair mating, male is much smaller than female, Papua New Guinea

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Male (the small spider) and female Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila clavipes) on their web. Tayrona National Natural Park, municipality of Santa Marta, Magdalena Department, Colombia.

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Female Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila clavipes) consuming a butterfly on her web. The much smaller male of the species is just by the abdomen of the female. Tayrona National Natural Park, municipality...

Nature Production / Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila clavata) female, Japan

Stephen Dalton / Seychelles Palm / Seychelles Orb Weaver Spider (Nephila inaurata) female. Seychelles, March.

Stephen Dalton / Seychelles Palm / Seychelles Orb Weaver Spider (Nephila inaurata) female. Seychelles, March.

Chien Lee / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) male is dwarfed by a gigantic female, Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Adrian Davies / Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes) female on web, Everglades, Florida, USA. December Note yellow pigment in web to attract small bees

Konrad Wothe / Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) on web, Atherton Tableland, Queensland, Australia

Edwin Giesbers / Giant wood / Golden orb spider (Nephila pilipes) with hand to illustrate scale, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Edwin Giesbers / Giant wood / Golden orb spider (Nephila pilipes) on web, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Edwin Giesbers / Giant wood / Golden orb spider (Nephila pilipes) standing upright on web, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia

Ann & Steve Toon / Golden Orb web spider (Nephila sp.) female on web with males, Swaziland, Africa

Stephen Dalton / Golden orb spider {Nephila clavipes} on web, the worlds's largest non-tarantula-type spider, Costa Rica

Stephen Dalton / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female shedding skin, Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female and male (smaller, above) on web, Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Web of Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female shedding skin, Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Golden silk spider (Nephila sp) female on web, Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female and male (smaller, above) on web, Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Stephen Dalton / Web of Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) Costa Rica, Tetragnathidae

Martin Gabriel / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female on its yellow web, Tortuga Beach, Costa Rica

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar spider (Nephila madagascarensis) on web, Central Madagascar, April

Vincent Grafhorst / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) in web, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar spider (Nephila madagascarensis) on web, Isalo National Park, South Madagascar

Inaki Relanzon / Madagascar spider (Nephilia madagascariensis) on web feeding on a beetle, Sambava, North Madagascar.

Thomas Marent / Giant Orb-weaving Spider (Nephila madagascariensis) on web, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar

Nick Garbutt / Female Giant Orb-web Spider (possibly Nephila sp) at Langoue Bai, Ivindo National Park, Gabon, Central Africa.

Edwin Giesbers / Golden orb-web spider {Nephila sp.} on its web, Costa Rica

Steven David Miller / Golden silk spider {Nephila clavipes} female in web, Florida, USA

Nick Garbutt / Madagascar orb web spider {Nephila madagascariensis} Ranomafana NP, Madagascar

Tony Phelps / Golden orb weaver spider {Nephila imperialis} DeHoop NR, Western Cape, South Africa.

Willem Kolvoort / Web spider (Nephila sp) Central Suriname Nature Reserve, Suriname. 2003.

Philippe Clement / Banana spider / Golden silk spider {Nephila clavipes} on web, Costa Rica.

PREMAPHOTOS / Giant wood spider female (Nephilia maculata) Sulawesi tropical rainforest

PREMAPHOTOS / Giant wood spider female on web (Nephilia maculata) and much smaller male above, tropical rainforest, Sulawesi

PREMAPHOTOS / Giant wood spider pair mating (Nephilia maculata) in web, female eating horsefly, Sulawesi

PREMAPHOTOS / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) with larva of parasitic wasp attached to abdomen. Argentina, South America

Steven David Miller / Golden silk spider, adult female {Nephila clavipes} Florida, USA

PREMAPHOTOS / Giant Wood Spider male mating with huge female (Nephilia maculata) while she is eating a horsefly. Rainforest, Sulawesi

PREMAPHOTOS / Tiny Giant wood spider male laying silk on much larger female (Nephila maculata) Sulawesi.

David Noton / Close up of Golden orb spider on web {Nephila imperialis} Cape Tribulation Queensland, Australia

Mark Moffett / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) adult portrait, Florida

Ingo Arndt / Big-jawed Spider (Nephila sp) female on web, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Territory of Australia

Premaphotos / Banana / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female accompanied by a tiny male who lives in her web, Panama

Premaphotos / Banana / Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes) female accompanied by a tiny male trying to mate with her but she ignores him. Panama

TIM MARTIN / Golden silk spider {Nephila clavipes} Costa rica

Ian Lockwood / Giant wood spider {Nephila maculata} on web, Tamil Nadu, India

Ian Lockwood / Giant wood spider {Nephila maculata} on web, Tamil Nadu, India

Steven David Miller / Tiny male Golden orb weaver spiders on web with female (centre) with wrapped up prey

Mark Moffett / Jumping Spider (Portia fimbriata) avoids huge female Giant Wood Spider (Nephila maculata) and stalks tiny male on same web, Queensland, Australia