In the Belize chapter of my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, I tell a story about getting up before sunrise for a solo rainforest hike. When I accidently hiked into an enclave of orb weaver spiders, I humorously called them “Belizean fangs-o-death.” Ever since that moment, all orb weaver spiders, no matter where I find them, are Belizean fangs-o-death.
I photographed this Belizean fangs-o-death last month in Indonesian New Guinea. The big one is the female, and the little one, standing cautiously nearby, is the male. He’ll likely become the female’s after sex snack.
The bite from a Belizean fangs-o-death is roughly the equivalent of a bee sting. So don’t take the name I’ve given them seriously.