Big, invasive Joro spiders are crawling up the East Coast

Joro spiders are large, venomous, yellow and making their way up the East Coast. People may begin to spot them in New Jersey and New York this year.

Giant, venomous yellow spiders have been making their way up the East Coast, and people may begin to spot them in New Jersey, New York and even southern Canada as early as this year.

The invasive Joro spider, native to East Asia, was first found in Georgia in 2013. The spiders remain mostly in the Southeast, but researchers predict they will head north because they are better suited for colder climates.

The creatures are characterized by their bright color and large size. Female Joro spiders are yellow and black, with a body about the size of a paperclip and legs that can stretch up to 4 inches from one side to other. Male Joro spiders are smaller and brown. They are orb weavers, meaning they create flat, circular webs.

Joro spiders have gotten attention on social media recently, but experts say they’re nothing to worry about. Nearly all spiders are venomous — including these — but only a tiny fraction have venom that can seriously harm a human, said Gustavo Hormiga, a professor of biology at George Washington University.

He compared a Joro spider bite to a bee sting. Some people may have a bad reaction, but Hormiga said he has not yet heard of any cases that would be considered medically important.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/joro-spiders-crawling-up-east-coast-rcna155839

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