Bug Wiki
Sticker of Banded-legged golden orb-web spider
Bug card No. 0287 of 4,939

Banded-legged golden orb-web spider

Trichonephila senegalensis
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsSpidersGardens and meadows8 legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The banded-legged golden orb-web spider is an African spider with striped legs. It builds a huge round web. The sticky threads of its web shine golden yellow.

Fun fact: spiders are not insects. Insects have six legs, spiders have eight. Everyone calls them bugs anyway!
Lives in
Africa, from West Africa to Ethiopia and all over South Africa
Top speed
about 1.2 km/h (0.75 mph)
On foot, estimate
What does it eat?
It catches flying insects in its big sticky web.
For real!Photo of Banded-legged golden orb-web spider
Picture by Peter Webb. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its web can be 1 to 1.5 metres wide, as wide as a grown-up is tall.

2

The sticky spiral of its web is a golden yellow colour.

3

It lives in almost every kind of place in South Africa except the deserts.

4

It is found from low near the sea to high up in the hills.

you asked

Most asked questions about Banded-legged golden orb-web spider

?How big is its web?

Very big. Its round web can be 1 to 1.5 metres across.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Trichonephila senegalensis
Group
Spiders
Family
Araneidae
Classification
Arachnida > Araneae > Araneidae
Lives on
Africa

Where the facts come from

  1. Trichonephila senegalensis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Peter Webb. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Spiders

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Honey jarfor grown-ups