With a leg span of 12 cm and a body of 4 cm, the newly discovered Nephila komaci is the biggest orb spider in the world. It spins webs of up to 1 metre in diameter. The species has pronounced sexual size dimorphism, with particularly tiny males. Female spiders are thought to be larger in order to produce more young. The small size of the males might help them avoid being eaten by the females before mating. The Nephilia komaci is restricted to parts of Africa and Madagascar. BBC