Joro Spider, A Giant Flying Arachnid, Could Invade East Coast

GEORGIA — It's the stuff arachnophobe nightmares are made of — a huge flying spider that swarmed Georgia by the millions last summer could soon be on the move. Now, this invasive arachnid is crawling to take over much of the East Coast.

The Joro — or Trichonephila clavata — is part of a group of spiders known as orb weavers for their highly organized, wheel-shaped webs. Joro females have colorful yellow, blue and red markings on their bodies and can measure 3 inches across when their legs are fully extended.

Now, according to new research published in February by the University of Georgia, these spiders and their golden webs could soon spread beyond Georgia and likely colonize the entire East Coast. But how?

The study found the Joro actually has a high-enough metabolism to survive the colder temperatures that kill off many of its cousins. This means the Joro's body functions better than its relatives in a cold environment, and it also means Joros can likely exist beyond the borders of the Southeast.

"It looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard here, which is pretty sobering," Andy Davis, a corresponding author of the study and a research scientist at the Odum School of Ecology, said in an article by UGA.

If you live on the East Coast, here are five things you should know about the Joro spider:

The Joro spider is native to Japan and other Eastern countries.

According to Live Science, the Joro spider is common in China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. The spider gets its name from Jorōgumo, a Japanese spirit that disguises itself as a beautiful woman to prey upon gullible men.

The Joro spider hitchhiked to the United States in 2013.

The Joro made its way to the United States inside a shipping container. Since then, its numbers and range have expanded steadily across Georgia. By last year, millions of the arachnids were spotted across more than 25 counties, Live Science previously reported.

The Joro spider can fly.

Yes, you read that correctly. While the Joro doesn't have wings, it flies using its web. In fact, when Joro hatchlings emerge in the spring, they ride the wind across enormous distances — sometimes up to 100 miles — using web "parachutes," allowing it to colonize new terrain.

When it's not flying, the Joro is an expert stowaway. As its arrival in the United States proves, the Joro could easily travel to a new location by riding on a car or hiding in luggage.

"The potential for these spiders to be spread through people’s movements is very high," said Benjamin Frick, co-author of the study and an undergraduate researcher with the University of Georgia. "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."

The Joro is venomous, but not dangerous. In fact, it may prove helpful.

Joros are relatively harmless to people and pets. This means they're often more of a nuisance than a danger. Joros won’t bite unless cornered, according to the UGA study, and their fangs are virtually incapable of breaking human skin.

“There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them," Frick said. "Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider."

Also, instead of lovesick men, Joros kill off mosquitoes, biting flies and other invasive species including the brown marmorated stink bug, which damages crops and has no natural predators, according to Live Science.

While an East Coast migration is possible, the Joro may just stay in Georgia.

Some experts aren't convinced a large-scale U.S. invasion will ever happen, according to a CNN report.

"Although it can withstand somewhat colder climates, I doubt it could withstand the climatic conditions found in the northern and western U.S.," Paula Cushing, a senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, told CNN.

Also, Joro spiders can tolerate a brief freeze, but not much more, Anne Danielson-Francois, an associate professor at the University of Michigan in Dearborn, told CNN. Danielson-Francois was not involved in the study.

"In my opinion, I do not think they would be found further north than North Carolina or towards the west," she told the network.