Argiope appensa
(Hawaiian Garden Spider)

She’s a big gal. Technically, most species of spiders don’t get pregnant. I didn’t know that before I found this site. Female spiders are much larger than males because they need to hunt and make webs and grow the eggs inside of them. When the unfertilized eggs are ready the female oviposits them into a silk sac. She may have accepted semen from a male, or several, that courted her. It is stored in her body and travels through ducts to coat the eggs as they leave the female’s body. She doesn’t have to hold growing fertilized eggs in her… Read more »