Biggest Spiders in the World: A Journey into the Gigantic 🕷️

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

The Mrs. and I are 'scared to death and really freaks-us-out' about all manner of spiders (and this one is really big too).

By Jesslyn Shields - how stuff works - May 27, 2024

Key Takeaway:

• The Goliath birdeater spider, native to South America's rainforests, is the world's largest and heaviest spider, with a leg span reaching up to 12 inches (31 cm). [...]

"The Goliath birdeater spider (Theraphosa blondi) weighs in as the world's largest and heaviest spider.

"In the fascinating and often misunderstood world of arachnids, the biggest spiders in the world stand as giants among their kin, sparking both awe and apprehension. These eight-legged creatures, ranging from the Goliath birdeater to the giant huntsman, showcase an astonishing diversity in size, habitat and behavior.

While they may incite fear due to their impressive dimensions, these spiders play crucial roles in their ecosystems and have become subjects of significant scientific interest and study.

Well, this spider (sometimes misnomered the Goliath bird-eating spider) is huge, but it doesn't eat birds often enough to warrant the name. But at least half of the Goliath birdeater's name is accurate because it's a real giant.

It's the world's largest spider — and the heaviest. Native to South America's rainforests, the Goliath Birdeater weighs as much as a hockey puck, with a body the size of a midsized smartphone and a leg span reaching up to 12 inches (30 centimeters).

Although it has an intimidating name and size, this spider species is relatively harmless to humans. Its venom isn't highly toxic to us, so, to protect itself, it employs unique defensive tactics.

When threatened, it releases irritant hairs from its abdomen and makes a distinct sound by rubbing its legs together — a process known as stridulation, similar to the chirping of crickets. It can be heard by humans and animals alike from up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.



While the birdeater rarely preys on birds, insects, frogs and small mammals are on the menu for this behemoth. As a ground hunter, it uses its potent neurotoxin to immobilize prey on the ground before dragging it back to its burrow for a private feast. The neurotoxin liquefies the prey's insides, which the spider then consumes.

In the exotic pet trade, these spiders [which I believe are very expensive], are valued for their size and longevity, with females living up to 20 years — significantly longer than their male counterparts, which can live up to six years in captivity. [...]".

Works Cited: World's Largest Spider

"[Goliath (Bird-eater), tarantulas are] so large...they appear to be wearing the pelts of small animals". Dave Barry

 

[Ad Astra]

Yeah. No.

I mean, there are people that LIKE them, but. Camel Spiders for one are kinda hard to like. How can aliens from space be any stranger than spiders, lobsters, etc.

AA

 

[Legion]

I'd be more worried about the most venomous, rather than the biggest. You can punt those big ones over to the neighbours side of the fence.

 

[Dave himself]

I wouldn't handle them some of the ones I've dealt with would detect the heat from our hands and go into feeding mode. Plus they are pretty fast for such a large spider.

 

[malocchio]

This brought back a lot of good memories!

 

[njpaddy]

I like my spiders on youtube, or in movies (Big A** Spider/Eight Legged Freaks). We lived on the west coast of Florida for 3 years in the mid 70s, and saw plenty of big spiders & other pests. 10lb bags of chlordane (now banned) came in handy. Black Widows were my biggest concern back then. I wouldn't let my wife or young daughter turn on the lawn sprinkling system, because it was a favorite nesting spot for them. I was always on the lookout for them.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

This brought back a lot of good memories!

malocchio:
Good memories...say what?

"When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion". African Proverb

 

[njpaddy]

We mostly see daddy long legs and small, black "jumping" spiders in NJ, which don't bother us. I'm still waiting for the giant Joro Spiders that are supposed to be heading north. They look similar to the giant yellow & black spiders with huge webs, between trees, that we saw on Sanibel Island in the 70s. Never did find out what those were.

 

[simon1]

Those spiders have nothing on the rabbits here in Texas.

 

[Ad Astra]

Gotta say though, last time I went into a spidery place, put my hand on a (luckily dead) coral snake.... Spiders mighta taken it out. Sadly, it was under the house.

AA

 

[Whisky]

One of my Paramedic instructors literally attracted spiders. The best he could figure was he produced a pheromone or some other scent that attracted them. He told us that while he was in Vietnam no one would share a foxhole with him because by the morning there’d be hundreds of spiders in the hole with them. Prior to being a Paramedic he worked at M&M Mars where they processed the Cocoa beans. He said if he stood in the room long enough with the unprocessed beans spiders would start to move toward him. I would have called BS but his wife said it’s true and that sometimes at night they’d hear a thump on the bed from a spider dropping off the ceiling onto their bed. She’d jump out out of bed and tell him she wasn’t coming back until he found and killed the spider.

He is a great guy, but I’m glad I never had to share a station with him.

 

[Juanmosey]

I've got a 10 sec movie on my Facebook of a jumping spider with the face of an old man with a beard. I'll try to upload it. Got to see it to believe it.

 

[DesertIguana]

This brought back a lot of good memories!

Recall many Saturday Movies like with big Grasshoppers.

 

[Lockback]

Yeah. No.

I mean, there are people that LIKE them, but. Camel Spiders for one are kinda hard to like. How can aliens from space be any stranger than spiders, lobsters, etc.

AA

Yeah but at least lobsters are delicious Camel spiders ... not so much.

 

[malocchio]

Recall many Saturday Movies like with big Grasshoppers.

 

[malocchio]

One of my Paramedic instructors literally attracted spiders. The best he could figure was he produced a pheromone or some other scent that attracted them. He told us that while he was in Vietnam no one would share a foxhole with him because by the morning there’d be hundreds of spiders in the hole with them. Prior to being a Paramedic he worked at M&M Mars where they processed the Cocoa beans. He said if he stood in the room long enough with the unprocessed beans spiders would start to move toward him. I would have called BS but his wife said it’s true and that sometimes at night they’d hear a thump on the bed from a spider dropping off the ceiling onto their bed. She’d jump out out of bed and tell him she wasn’t coming back until he found and killed the spider.

He is a great guy, but I’m glad I never had to share a station with him.

Great story !

 

[Juanmosey]

Does this spider need a shave?

 

[njpaddy]

One of my Paramedic instructors literally attracted spiders.

That one paragraph was scarier than any book Stephen King ever wrote.