A lone Joro spider, native to East Asia and known for building massive webs, was discovered this fall clinging to a shrub outside a coastal Santa Barbara business. The sighting marked the first known appearance of the species west of the Great Plains.
While this may sound like the freaky start to a sci-fi movie, local scientists say there's no reason to panic.
“This one probably came alone,” said Dr. Alex Harman, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Schlinger Chair of Entomology, who responded to the scene. “It was right next to where they receive flower shipments. We searched the area and didn’t find any others.”