Posted by Kristi Ambrose on August 8, 2007

Q: I was just wondering if you could tell me what kind of spider this is and if its poisonous. I have included another pic but its a TINY bit blurry because well.. I have arachnophobia. But I thought it was a really cool looking spider. Also the other thing in the pic with it (above) is another spider and actually I watched him eat it. I dont know much about spiders but Im assuming they are like any other animal in that pending on what class they are they either DO or dont eat each other. Maybe that will help you in figuring out what kind of spider this is. Then again its pretty clear that this shouldnt be too hard considering its bright red wit pinkish/white spots. Thanks.

Habitat: field/meadow

State: Pennsylvania

Habitat: field/meadow

A: I can't see all of the spider in the photo but it looks very much like the Black and Yellow Argiope or Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) that grows up to an inch in size as an adult. This is not a dangerous spider but instead is very helpful by being a very good "bug catcher" and is common in many gardens of North America. Take a look at this website to confirm my identification: www.cs.utk.edu

What you described as another spider looks more to me like its exoskeleton, not another animal. Spiders shed their skin as they grow and their shed skins are often found hanging in their webs. Keep an eye on your spider and over the remainder of the summer it should grow quite large until fall. You might even want to toss a live insect into its web from time to time and watch how it deals with prey. Thanks for sharing.

John Wiessinger ( August 9, 2007)