Giant Joro Spiders Expected to Invade NYC This Summer

Arachnophobia (excessive fear of spiders) affects roughly 5% of the global population.Photo by(The author)

Called 'Joro spiders,' these giant parachuting spiders are expected to land in NYC this summer

New York City — Years ago when I first moved to the Big Apple, an older New Yorker gave me some advice that stuck...

..."Rule number one about living in New York," he said: "always expect what you don't expect."

"And what's the second rule?" I asked.

He smiled. "Never forget rule number one."

With that being said, when I heard the latest incredible news that giant Joro spiders, which are the size of a human hand, are expected to land in NYC this summer, I wasn't shocked.

When the report added that these spiders "can float in the air," now that gave me cause to pause. Yikes!

According to a study published in October 2023 by Dr. David Coyle, an assistant professor at Clemson University, the giant spider could soon land in the tri-state area.

“We expect the range of these things to continue expanding, likely to the north, and we’ve already seen that with some populations in Maryland,” Dr. Coyle writes.

In short, though the Joro spider's size and "flying" capability sound dangerous, appearances are deceptive. According to reports, these spiders are fairly "laid back" and non-threatening to humans.

We shall see...