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GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking help from visitors to locate an invasive parachuting spider that was initially observed in Cades Cove last year.
On Thursday, the park requested public assistance in locating Joro spiders, which have been observed in the park since the last fall season. These spiders have mostly been noticed in and around Cades Cove.
This species, a large orb-weaver spider from East Asia, was first brought into Georgia and is spreading northward. While visually striking, the arrival of this species has been correlated with a rapid decline in native orb weaver populations due to competition.
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The Joro spider is shown. (Provided by Clemson University) -
The joro spider, a large spider native to East Asia, is seen in Johns Creek, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The spider has spun its thick, golden web on power lines, porches and vegetable patches all over north Georgia this year – a proliferation that has driven some unnerved homeowners indoors and prompted a flood of anxious social media posts. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz) -
FILE – A Joro spider makes a web, Sept. 27, 2022, in Atlanta. Populations of the species have been growing in parts of the South and East Coast for years now, and many researchers think it’s only a matter of time before they spread to much of the continental U.S. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Information on sightings shared with the park will be analyzed by a University of Tennessee researcher studying the species’ spread. The park encourages anyone spotting a Joro spider within the park to upload a photo through the free iNaturalist app. These submissions provide researchers with crucial data to better comprehend and manage the species. Additional app details are available at iNaturalist.org.
“Together, we can protect the Smokies’ natural balance,” the GSMNP wrote.
The Joro spider, while potentially unsettling to some, is quite fascinating. It creates golden-colored webs up to 10 feet wide and is among the few species that capture and consume brown marmorated stink bugs, which are also invasive. Notably, young Joro spiders form a “balloon” with their web to catch the wind and parachute up to 100 miles away, according to ABC News. They construct webs wherever they land.
Although this species is venomous like other spiders, they pose no danger to humans. An expert has noted to the Associated Press that a Joro spider bite might cause itching or an allergic reaction, but the species is generally very timid and avoids human contact.
