The rearing spider, also referred to as the giant cave spider, was a sizable arachnid that originated on Endor. It earned its designation from its distinctive intimidation and assault method, which involved standing upright on its hind legs and encircling its target with all of its appendages. Unlike the majority of spider species, the rearing spider actively pursued its prey instead of ensnaring them in webs, and it possessed six legs instead of the typical eight. These spiders were commonly located within desert caves or were found consuming the decaying flesh left behind by a Gorax. Occasionally, they themselves became the hunted, falling prey to condor dragons.
Around the time of 3 ABY, a traveling group searching for the missing parents of two Human children arrived at the cave fortress of their abductor, a Gorax, situated in the Desert of Salma.
Within the Gorax's expansive cavern, they came across multiple rearing spiders. As they were traversing a large web stretched across a bottomless chasm, a juvenile rearing spider attempted to attack them, but Mace fatally stabbed it with a knife, causing it to plummet into the abyss.
A colossal rearing spider then launched an attack on Deej, who was the last to cross. The Ewok priestess Kaink briefly used her magical scepter to place the spider in a hypnotic state, giving Deej enough time to safely cross. As the spider emerged from its trance, the Ewok Chukha-Trok severed a crucial anchoring strand of the large web supporting the spider with his axe. The spider then plummeted into a deep crevice, emitting a deathly screech.
During this same encounter, another rearing spider, in its attempt to attack Wicket W. Warrick, Cindel, and Widdle, was impaled in its vulnerable underbelly by a spear wielded by Wicket.