Fearsome Orange Spider Spotted Walking In Inwood Park: Photos

INWOOD, NY — It is only fitting, right? Scary-looking spiders appear in Inwood at the end of a 2020 year with an unimaginable number of dark turns.

Luke Kelly, an Inwood resident, walking through Inwood Hill Park came across quite the surprise when he noticed an orange spider making its way through the fall leaves.

Kelly told Patch he found the spider on the path closest to Shorakkopoch Rock.

However, as uninviting as the exquisitely icky spider looks, it isn't actually particularly rare or dangerous at all.

Riverside Park staff identified the Inwood Hill Park arachnid as an Orb-Weaver spider, which they say is common to the New York City area. The arachnid is also sometimes affectionately known as the Pumpkin Spider.

Orb-Weaver spiders also aren't poisonous and are maybe best known for their Halloween-esque webs.

While the spider itself isn't particularly rare, its appearance is.

The Orb-Weaver family is one of the most varied in size and appearance of all the spider families, according to the pest-control company Orkin. The arachnid can come in all different colors and sizes, and the orange body with a yellow hue found on the Inwood Hill spider is undoubtedly eyecatching.

Additionally, Orb-Weavers are nocturnal and rarely travel off their webs during the daytime, according to Orkin.

Orkin adds that despite the spider's fearsome appearance, Orb Weavers rarely bite, and if they do, the feeling and danger are comparable to a bee sting.

You can find out more about the Orb-Weaver spider on the Orkin website.