Researchers from a major university reported an unusual observation about a spider from the Jerogumo group, Trichonephila clavata. The study noted how the spider’s web rested atop a bird standing about 20 centimeters tall and weighing around 70 grams, an image captured for a scientific article about insect and arachnid behavior.
Trichonephila clavata, commonly called Jerogumo spiders, are nephilic orb weavers. They belong to a genus renowned for weaving some of the largest cobwebs seen in nature. This species has a broad distribution, found across Japan with exceptions including Hokkaido, and also extending to Korea, Taiwan, eastern China, and parts of North America, where its range is more limited by climate and habitat suitability.
The females typically measure about 17 to 25 millimeters in body length, while males are notably smaller, generally around 7 to 10 millimeters. An adult female is capable of weaving a web that can reach up to one meter in diameter, illustrating a substantial construction for this group of spiders.
In a striking field observation, biologists documented the red cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) obtaining food from a spider’s web. The bird landed within the network, caused the spider to retreat briefly, and proceeded to feed on insects trapped by the web. The encounter lasted about a minute, during which the web structure remained intact and ready to capture more prey, underscoring the resilience of the silk architecture under active disturbance.
Scientists describe the weaving pattern as a distinctive three-layer configuration. At the center, the spider constructs a primary ball, while two additional silk layers extend behind and in front of this core, forming a compact, tripartite structure that enhances capture efficiency and web stability in variable environmental conditions. This arrangement contributes to the spider’s ability to withstand occasional perturbations such as wind, passing animals, or incidental contact, while maintaining a functional trap for flying insects.