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Description
While species of Giant Spiders are more abundant in the southern continents, the northern regions still contain a few species of them. The reason for their small numbers is the fact that these regions experience cold winters, which do not occur farther down south. Most of these species cannot survive such cold temperatures, but the ones that have reached the northern regions have adapted to it. All of them take the route of hibernation, dropping themselves into a months long slumber that will end when the temperatures rise once again. Prior to the winter months, they will gorge themselves on food, and then find proper shelter for them to sleep in. Most of these include burrows, caves and alcoves in large buildings or structures. At that point they will web themselves up in a thick, sturdy cocoon and fall into hibernation. As long as their cocoon remains unbroken, they will survive to awaken in the springtime. Once the weather improves, they will burst from their cocoons and resume their active lives.

The most common species of Giant Spiders are the Ogre spiders. They stand as tall as an average Dryad (or human) and possess some odd looking limbs. While many spider species have eight separate limbs, things are bit more complicated for the Ogre spiders. From their body to the first joint, their limbs are fused so that they have only four. After the first joint, though, they split in two, so that the end result is that they have eight grasping appendages. I will explain later why that is. Their postures are in a permanent hunch, which allows their upper limbs to reach the ground so that they can travel on all eights if needed. Most of the time, they are perfectly fine with walking on their lower four limbs, scuttling about with their split limbs. While such movement looks odd from the side, if you watch them head on, it surprisingly almost looks human. In fact, when they keep their split limbs held together, it is easy to mistake them for having only four. Combine this with the shape of their body and their two large eyes, and you have a creature that has been mistaken for humans at a distance (well, I wouldn't mistake them, but other people apparently have)! It is partly the reason they are called Ogre spiders, as they are said to imitate the humanoid form so that they may snare humans in their web. Though this does seem like a thing, it actually is not. Ogre spiders do not exclusively prey on humans, nor do they try to mimic them. There indeed have been attacks, but it is for an entirely different purpose.

Ogre spiders make their homes in high up places. Those who dwell within the forests will spin webbing within the branches, bending the branches and connecting the silk so that it makes a protective nest. With nests up and above, they are less exposed to predators, but that is not the sole reason for their property choices. Ogre spiders hunt by ambush, waiting for prey to pass below so they may snare them. Their split lower limbs will be locked open as they grip the high up surfaces, giving them a solid foundation to hunt on. Using their webbing, they will create nets for them to hold in their upper limbs. Their split limbs allow them to hold open the corners of the sticky net with ease. When prey walks by, they will lurch down, drop the net over the victim and snap their split limbs together so that the web closes tightly around them. Snapping the net shut around prey ensures that nearly every part of the animal is adhered to the webbing, making escape difficult. Once snared, they will pull up the prey and inject it with digestive venom. The victim is then wrapped up tight and placed deep in the nest. Eventually the venom will liquefy the prey and they can suck the juices out of the cocoon. Cocooned victims can be stored for long periods of time, and Ogre spiders will catch an abundance of prey in order to have stores during the slow times. As winter closes in, they will make sure their stores are full so that they can gorge themselves before going into hibernation. Ogre spiders are opportunistic, but prefer to hunt prey that is smaller than them. Larger prey can put up a violent struggle, and they are not fans of that.

Where human/Ogre spider conflicts arise is when Ogre spiders make their homes in unwanted places. Though they prefer the trees, any structure will do if they are in a pinch. In many cases, Ogre spiders will find bridges as suitable housing. Tall, arching bridges can provide a nice shelter, where they can spin their nest in the arches below. Travelers can tell that an Ogre spider has taken residence on a bridge by the sheets of webbing that stick to the sides and the strands of silk that connect to the pillars as anchors. Rivers that run below the bridges give them an ample food supply, as they use their nets to catch fish or small critters who come to drink. In all honesty, Ogre spiders find bridges to be quite appealing, and multiple spiders can take residence on a bridge if it is big enough. This creates a problem when someone wants to use the bridge for its intended purpose. People who walk over the bridge will send vibrations through it, which is amplified by the webbing and alerts the spiders. Due to their ambush tactics and preference for high places, Ogre spiders are not used to having other creatures above them. When a person or cart travels above their homes, they panic and assume they are being attacked. The Ogre spider will hurry from its nest and confront the person above. Often this startles the traveler, which in turn startles them and they attack. They will use their nets and webbing to disorient the person, and they will try to either cocoon the intruder or throw them off the bridge. Chucking an attacker down below makes them feel safer and in control of the situation. This long drop also has the tendency to incapacitate or kill the victim, which makes it easier for the spider to take down and web up. Though they do not like larger prey, they will consume an intruder they have wounded or captured. At that point it would be silly to waste food.

It is this tendency of theirs that makes them quite disliked by humans and other civilized beings. To top it off, Ogre spiders can make their homes in abandoned buildings, barns and towers. This leads to the point where towns and villages will band together to kill the invading creatures, which is a solution, but not a very nice one. Ogre spiders can instead be scared away from the bridge, forcing them to make their homes elsewhere. One solution I have seen is having large amounts of people or carts constantly running back and forth on the bridge, creating a commotion. With the sheer amount of people and moving objects present, the spider will be too scared to strike and instead flee. When the bridge is unoccupied, it will return. With that, this method must be done several times, with the people tearing down the nest each time it flees. Eventually the spider will see the bridge as a terrible home and relocate elsewhere. Unfortunately this method is time consuming, and many resort to killing the poor things. It also doesn't stop another spider from taking up residence, as it is not aware of the issue. Ogre spiders can be deterred from the bridge outright if it sees enough heavy traffic, or if the architecture makes it impossible to build a nest. One can spot bridges where Ogre spiders have been a problem, as they will often have sloppy additions slapped into the arches so that it is no longer the right size and shape for a nest.

If you are ever traveling out in the wilderness and come across an abandoned bridge coated in webbing, take my advice and just find another way around. Even if it involves climbing or wading across a river, do it. It may seem faster to take your chances and cross it, but it will just make your trip to the grave faster when one of these panicked creatures chuck you over the edge.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

Description
While species of Giant Spiders are more abundant in the southern continents, the northern regions still contain a few species of them. The reason for their small numbers is the fact that these regions experience cold winters, which do not occur farther down south. Most of these species cannot survive such cold temperatures, but the ones that have reached the northern regions have adapted to it. All of them take the route of hibernation, dropping themselves into a months long slumber that will end when the temperatures rise once again. Prior to the winter months, they will gorge themselves on food, and then find proper shelter for them to sleep in. Most of these include burrows, caves and alcoves in large buildings or structures. At that point they will web themselves up in a thick, sturdy cocoon and fall into hibernation. As long as their cocoon remains unbroken, they will survive to awaken in the springtime. Once the weather improves, they will burst from their cocoons and resume their active lives.

The most common species of Giant Spiders are the Ogre spiders. They stand as tall as an average Dryad (or human) and possess some odd looking limbs. While many spider species have eight separate limbs, things are bit more complicated for the Ogre spiders. From their body to the first joint, their limbs are fused so that they have only four. After the first joint, though, they split in two, so that the end result is that they have eight grasping appendages. I will explain later why that is. Their postures are in a permanent hunch, which allows their upper limbs to reach the ground so that they can travel on all eights if needed. Most of the time, they are perfectly fine with walking on their lower four limbs, scuttling about with their split limbs. While such movement looks odd from the side, if you watch them head on, it surprisingly almost looks human. In fact, when they keep their split limbs held together, it is easy to mistake them for having only four. Combine this with the shape of their body and their two large eyes, and you have a creature that has been mistaken for humans at a distance (well, I wouldn't mistake them, but other people apparently have)! It is partly the reason they are called Ogre spiders, as they are said to imitate the humanoid form so that they may snare humans in their web. Though this does seem like a thing, it actually is not. Ogre spiders do not exclusively prey on humans, nor do they try to mimic them. There indeed have been attacks, but it is for an entirely different purpose.

Ogre spiders make their homes in high up places. Those who dwell within the forests will spin webbing within the branches, bending the branches and connecting the silk so that it makes a protective nest. With nests up and above, they are less exposed to predators, but that is not the sole reason for their property choices. Ogre spiders hunt by ambush, waiting for prey to pass below so they may snare them. Their split lower limbs will be locked open as they grip the high up surfaces, giving them a solid foundation to hunt on. Using their webbing, they will create nets for them to hold in their upper limbs. Their split limbs allow them to hold open the corners of the sticky net with ease. When prey walks by, they will lurch down, drop the net over the victim and snap their split limbs together so that the web closes tightly around them. Snapping the net shut around prey ensures that nearly every part of the animal is adhered to the webbing, making escape difficult. Once snared, they will pull up the prey and inject it with digestive venom. The victim is then wrapped up tight and placed deep in the nest. Eventually the venom will liquefy the prey and they can suck the juices out of the cocoon. Cocooned victims can be stored for long periods of time, and Ogre spiders will catch an abundance of prey in order to have stores during the slow times. As winter closes in, they will make sure their stores are full so that they can gorge themselves before going into hibernation. Ogre spiders are opportunistic, but prefer to hunt prey that is smaller than them. Larger prey can put up a violent struggle, and they are not fans of that.

Where human/Ogre spider conflicts arise is when Ogre spiders make their homes in unwanted places. Though they prefer the trees, any structure will do if they are in a pinch. In many cases, Ogre spiders will find bridges as suitable housing. Tall, arching bridges can provide a nice shelter, where they can spin their nest in the arches below. Travelers can tell that an Ogre spider has taken residence on a bridge by the sheets of webbing that stick to the sides and the strands of silk that connect to the pillars as anchors. Rivers that run below the bridges give them an ample food supply, as they use their nets to catch fish or small critters who come to drink. In all honesty, Ogre spiders find bridges to be quite appealing, and multiple spiders can take residence on a bridge if it is big enough. This creates a problem when someone wants to use the bridge for its intended purpose. People who walk over the bridge will send vibrations through it, which is amplified by the webbing and alerts the spiders. Due to their ambush tactics and preference for high places, Ogre spiders are not used to having other creatures above them. When a person or cart travels above their homes, they panic and assume they are being attacked. The Ogre spider will hurry from its nest and confront the person above. Often this startles the traveler, which in turn startles them and they attack. They will use their nets and webbing to disorient the person, and they will try to either cocoon the intruder or throw them off the bridge. Chucking an attacker down below makes them feel safer and in control of the situation. This long drop also has the tendency to incapacitate or kill the victim, which makes it easier for the spider to take down and web up. Though they do not like larger prey, they will consume an intruder they have wounded or captured. At that point it would be silly to waste food.

It is this tendency of theirs that makes them quite disliked by humans and other civilized beings. To top it off, Ogre spiders can make their homes in abandoned buildings, barns and towers. This leads to the point where towns and villages will band together to kill the invading creatures, which is a solution, but not a very nice one. Ogre spiders can instead be scared away from the bridge, forcing them to make their homes elsewhere. One solution I have seen is having large amounts of people or carts constantly running back and forth on the bridge, creating a commotion. With the sheer amount of people and moving objects present, the spider will be too scared to strike and instead flee. When the bridge is unoccupied, it will return. With that, this method must be done several times, with the people tearing down the nest each time it flees. Eventually the spider will see the bridge as a terrible home and relocate elsewhere. Unfortunately this method is time consuming, and many resort to killing the poor things. It also doesn't stop another spider from taking up residence, as it is not aware of the issue. Ogre spiders can be deterred from the bridge outright if it sees enough heavy traffic, or if the architecture makes it impossible to build a nest. One can spot bridges where Ogre spiders have been a problem, as they will often have sloppy additions slapped into the arches so that it is no longer the right size and shape for a nest.

If you are ever traveling out in the wilderness and come across an abandoned bridge coated in webbing, take my advice and just find another way around. Even if it involves climbing or wading across a river, do it. It may seem faster to take your chances and cross it, but it will just make your trip to the grave faster when one of these panicked creatures chuck you over the edge.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian