This Giant Spider Looked Lifeless — Until a Stranger Gave Her a Second Chance
“I found this pretty lady not moving, so I gave her some water.”
Redditor u/Fragrant-Nail-961, who goes by Ben, didn’t expect to spend part of his day giving emergency hydration to a massive spider.
But when he noticed a golden silk orb weaver motionless near his tent, he knew something was wrong.
“She wasn’t moving much,” he wrote. “So I gave her some water.”
Armed with only a cotton swab and compassion, Ben dipped the cotton end in water and gently offered it to the spider, who was clinging to life.
A few minutes later, she began to crawl again.
Ben didn’t stop there.
He wedged a few more soaked swabs into the seams of the tent to ensure she could access water if needed later.
“I hope she feels better.”
The thread quickly gained attention in the r/spiders subreddit, not just for the touching rescue, but for how beautiful the spider was.
With long legs dressed in fuzzy leg warmers and the unmistakable, unique look that gives her species its name, she earned instant fandom.
“Boots with the FUUURRRRRRRR”
“You win all of it. My heart. The comments. You are the WINNER APPLE BOTTOM JEANS BOOTS WITH THE FURRR WITH THE FUR THE WHOLE CLUB WAS LOOKING AT HURRRR🥇”
Golden silk orb weavers, often nicknamed banana spiders in places like Southeast Texas, are famous for spinning massive, golden-hued webs and being startlingly large.
But despite their intimidating size, they’re harmless to humans and play an important role in insect control.
“Here in Southeast Texas we always called these giants Banana Spiders. They absolutely terrified me as a kid. I went 4 wheeling down a pipeline once and looked up at the treetops to see hundreds of them webbed between the trees all the way down the trail. Still freaks me out.”
Multiple commenters noted that this spider looked dehydrated and that Ben likely saved her life.
“She was most definitely dehydrated by the looks of her abdomen. You saved a life!!!”
“Missing a leg, poor thing!”
“This f**kin sub has me out here not only watering the spiders, but all bugs I find. What a lovely set of leg warmers she has!”
Even those who admitted to being afraid of spiders found themselves rooting for her recovery.
“Wow she’s beautiful! Hope she’s doing better now.”
What makes this moment so captivating is how simple the gesture was — a few drops of water offered with care. I
t’s a rare moment of interspecies kindness, especially toward a creature many would overlook or fear.
While Ben didn’t post a follow-up, the spider’s behavior shortly after the drink was promising.
She climbed up the side of the tent and settled higher up, away from the ground.
It was a small sign of hope.
In a world where most people would react with fear or a shoe, one person chose kindness and a cotton swab.
And for one giant spider in need of help, that made all the difference.
