50,000 Spider Species: Australian Redbacks and Shape-Shifting Joro Spiders in Japan

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50,000 spider species lurk worldwide, with Japan's spiders being mostly harmless except for one venomous species.

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Australian redbacks sneak into Japan through grape shipments, delivering painful bites that cause swelling, heart palpitations, and breathing troubles.

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Four-inch Joro spiders weave enormous webs, while Japanese folklore warns of their ability to shape-shift into beautiful, man-eating women.

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Pantropical huntsman spiders cruise banana shipments worldwide, stretching four inches with crab-like legs and motherly egg-sac carrying habits.

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Golden orb weavers create vast webs, distinguishable from Joros by their fuzzy leg "socks" and lower-hanging webs.

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Unique diving bell spiders build underwater bubble homes, resurfacing daily for fresh air while hunting mosquito larvae beneath the surface.

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Samurai spiders compete during Kumo Gassen, a 400-year-old tradition where spiders battle under strict rules without fatal consequences.

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Bird-dropping spiders fool both predator and prey through visual and olfactory mimicry of avian waste, sometimes staying on the same leaf their whole lives.

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Tiny thief spiders, barely 3.5mm long, lurk on larger spiders' webs, snatching wrapped prey and sometimes turning against their unsuspecting hosts.

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