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This is, or was, our pet spider, Eddie, which is short for Nephila Edulis - better known as the Golden Orb-Weaver.  The females can be over 9" long but Eddie is probably more like 5 or 6".  They weave the biggest webs we've ever seen and their silk may be the strongest of any spider.   They like to weave their huge webs across openings in the forest so that large insects will fly into them.  Unfortunately, this often happens to be directly across a walking path.  I can't count the number of times I've walked into them.  They're so strong you almost spring back and the force is often enough to stop you before you break the web.  Eddie weaved a huge web outside the louvered window next to our dining table.  Since they don't normally come indoors and they're not poisonous, we left her there and marveled at her handiwork.  But then she had a few hundred babies and it looked like they were going to stay in the neighborhood so ... goodbye Eddie and family!