A large, spider originally from Asia is appearing in more backyards across the southeastern United States, including right here in the Tennessee Valley.

Known as the Joro spider, the species may be intimidating in size and appearance, but experts say it isn’t dangerous to humans or pets.

Giant venomous spiders infiltrated the southeastern US and are expected to spread rapidly, experts say

The spiders are good at reproducing, so people in the Southeast should expect to come into close contact with them whether they want to or not.

“When it’s fully mature, it has this big red patch on its underbelly and tends to have striped legs — black and yellow,” said Dr. David Nelsen, a biology professor at Southern Adventist University who has been studying the species for several years.

The Joro

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