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CCSS: 6.RP.A.3.C
TEKS: 6.5B
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Spider Next Door
Dr. Dave Coyle, Clemson University
What’s black and yellow, has eight legs, and is coming to a garden near you? A Joro spider! Originally from East Asia, Joro spiders are an invasive species spreading rapidly across the Eastern U.S. They love to hang out “right where people like to be—so all over your yard, porch, and your deck. They’re very much in your face,” says David Coyle, a spider expert at Clemson University.
Joro spiders aren’t harmful to humans or pets. But their massive webs can grow up to 6 feet in diameter! These spiders sense how big an insect is from the vibrations the prey causes when it gets stuck. They’ll trek out to an insect only if it’s big enough to make a meal. Smaller bugs will slip through the spaces in their webs.
There’s a 62% probability that an insect caught in a Joro spider’s web is big enough to eat. After it traps 48, how many do you predict the spider eats, rounded to the nearest whole number? Record your work and answer on our Numbers in the News answer sheet.