Giant wood spirders (Nephila pilipes)

These spiders are pretty big-- the body alone is probably over an inch, maybe almost two. Sitting on the web, their legs would just fit in my hand. Only the females of this species are big-- the males are tiny. Gigantism probably evolved as a way for females to combat mating plugs. In contrast, smaller, more agile males have an advantage in reaching the femaile first (and so getting to apply their seal and ensure their parentage).

Camera

Sony A7R V

Lens

FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II

Focal length

200 mm

Aperture

ƒ/4.0

Shutter speed

1/200 sec

ISO

1000

Exposure compensation

-2 EV

Program

Manual

Metering

Pattern

Flash

Did not fire