Photo: Alex Sanz/AP/ShutterstockA Japanese spider has made itself at home in the United States — and experts believe its population could continue to spread across portions of the country.In a new study out of the University of Georgia, published in the journalPhysiological Entomology,researchers determined that the venomous arachnid has the potential to move north into colder climates beyond the Southeast, where the species has been living for several years.The Joro spider, a relative of the golden silk spider, was first spotted in Georgia in 2014 and is believed to have been brought to the U.S. via shipping trucks or containers, according to the study. Since, it has been found in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.Joro spiders have about double the metabolism of their relatives and have a 77 percent higher heart rate, according to the study. They are also able to survive a brief freeze, which researchers believe will allow them to continue spreading across the U.S.The study’s co-author Andy Davis, a research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology,told the University of Georgia’s UGA Newsthat he believes Joro spiders “could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard,” which he said “is pretty sobering” to think about.Benjamin Frick, an undergraduate researcher in the School of Ecology who also co-authored the study, said “the potential for these spiders to be spread through people’s movements is very high.““Anecdotally, right before we published this study, we got a report from a grad student at UGA who had accidentally transported one of these to Oklahoma,” Frick added to UGA News.The Joro spider can sport four different colors — bright yellow, black, blue, and red — and will grow up to 4 in. in size in its life cycle, which typically begins in early spring. The critters peak in the summertime and are often seen in July and August, the study said.Paula Cushing, senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, said that while the spider is venomous, it does not pose any danger to humans,according to CNN.Hence, experts like Davis and Frick are urging people to get comfortable with their new neighbors.“People should try to learn to live with them,” Davis said. “If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Frick added that “there’s no point in excess cruelty where it’s not needed.““You have people with saltwater guns shooting them out of the trees and things like that, and that’s really just unnecessary,” Frick told UGA News.He added, “There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them. Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider.”
Photo: Alex Sanz/AP/Shutterstock
A Japanese spider has made itself at home in the United States — and experts believe its population could continue to spread across portions of the country.In a new study out of the University of Georgia, published in the journalPhysiological Entomology,researchers determined that the venomous arachnid has the potential to move north into colder climates beyond the Southeast, where the species has been living for several years.The Joro spider, a relative of the golden silk spider, was first spotted in Georgia in 2014 and is believed to have been brought to the U.S. via shipping trucks or containers, according to the study. Since, it has been found in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.Joro spiders have about double the metabolism of their relatives and have a 77 percent higher heart rate, according to the study. They are also able to survive a brief freeze, which researchers believe will allow them to continue spreading across the U.S.The study’s co-author Andy Davis, a research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology,told the University of Georgia’s UGA Newsthat he believes Joro spiders “could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard,” which he said “is pretty sobering” to think about.Benjamin Frick, an undergraduate researcher in the School of Ecology who also co-authored the study, said “the potential for these spiders to be spread through people’s movements is very high.““Anecdotally, right before we published this study, we got a report from a grad student at UGA who had accidentally transported one of these to Oklahoma,” Frick added to UGA News.The Joro spider can sport four different colors — bright yellow, black, blue, and red — and will grow up to 4 in. in size in its life cycle, which typically begins in early spring. The critters peak in the summertime and are often seen in July and August, the study said.Paula Cushing, senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, said that while the spider is venomous, it does not pose any danger to humans,according to CNN.Hence, experts like Davis and Frick are urging people to get comfortable with their new neighbors.“People should try to learn to live with them,” Davis said. “If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Frick added that “there’s no point in excess cruelty where it’s not needed.““You have people with saltwater guns shooting them out of the trees and things like that, and that’s really just unnecessary,” Frick told UGA News.He added, “There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them. Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider.”
A Japanese spider has made itself at home in the United States — and experts believe its population could continue to spread across portions of the country.
In a new study out of the University of Georgia, published in the journalPhysiological Entomology,researchers determined that the venomous arachnid has the potential to move north into colder climates beyond the Southeast, where the species has been living for several years.
The Joro spider, a relative of the golden silk spider, was first spotted in Georgia in 2014 and is believed to have been brought to the U.S. via shipping trucks or containers, according to the study. Since, it has been found in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Joro spiders have about double the metabolism of their relatives and have a 77 percent higher heart rate, according to the study. They are also able to survive a brief freeze, which researchers believe will allow them to continue spreading across the U.S.
The study’s co-author Andy Davis, a research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology,told the University of Georgia’s UGA Newsthat he believes Joro spiders “could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard,” which he said “is pretty sobering” to think about.
Benjamin Frick, an undergraduate researcher in the School of Ecology who also co-authored the study, said “the potential for these spiders to be spread through people’s movements is very high.”
“Anecdotally, right before we published this study, we got a report from a grad student at UGA who had accidentally transported one of these to Oklahoma,” Frick added to UGA News.
The Joro spider can sport four different colors — bright yellow, black, blue, and red — and will grow up to 4 in. in size in its life cycle, which typically begins in early spring. The critters peak in the summertime and are often seen in July and August, the study said.
Paula Cushing, senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, said that while the spider is venomous, it does not pose any danger to humans,according to CNN.
Hence, experts like Davis and Frick are urging people to get comfortable with their new neighbors.
“People should try to learn to live with them,” Davis said. “If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Frick added that “there’s no point in excess cruelty where it’s not needed.”
“You have people with saltwater guns shooting them out of the trees and things like that, and that’s really just unnecessary,” Frick told UGA News.
He added, “There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them. Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider.”
source: people.com
