We found this very large Golden Orb spider (and her partner) on a banana tree at the rear of our tent. Quite scary at first.
According to my research, the Golden Orb spider is unusual in showing a marked size difference between the two sexes. The bodies of the males are only 6mm long but the females are giants, with bodies up to 60mm long and leg-spans reaching 200mm or more. The female can be 600 times bigger than the male.
Note the very small male spider on the back of the female spider while the female is busy eating breakfast.
