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GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is asking visitors to help them track down an invasive parachuting spider that was first spotted in Cades Cove last year.
On Thursday, the park asked the public for help finding Joro spiders that have been spotted in the park since last fall. Primarily, the spiders have been seen in and around Cades Cove.
The species is a large orb-weaver spider originally from East Asia that was first introduced in Georgia and has been spreading north. Although the species is striking to see, it has also been noted that as the species moves into an area, populations of native orb weavers have been shown to quickly decline because of 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)
Sighting information shared with the park will be studied a University of Tennessee researcher who is researching the spread of the species. The park that anyone who spots a Joro spider in the park to upload a photo of it through the free iNaturalist app. These sightings give researchers valuable data to help understand and manage the species. More information on the iNaturalist App can be found at iNaturalist.org.
“Together, we can protect the Smokies’ natural balance,” the GSMNP wrote.
While the Joro spider might make some unsettled, the species is quite intriguing. The species spins golden colored webs up to 10-feet wide, and is one of the few species that catch and eat brown marmorated stink bugs, which are also invasive. One of the most interesting (or for some, alarming) facts about the species is that young Joro spiders will create a “balloon” with their web to catch wind and parachute through the air to travel up to 100 miles away, according to ABC news. Then, wherever they land, they build webs.
Although the species has venom, like other spiders, they aren’t dangerous to humans. One expert previously shared with the Associated Press that a bite from a Joro spider might itch or cause an allergic reaction, but the species tends to be very shy and stays out of the way of humans.
