What are the largest spiders on the face of the Earth? Where do they live and what size are their legs? Here you have a ranking of giant spiders, from the heaviest to equally noteworthy specimens.
We are used to thinking of spiders as small creatures. From the tiny ones that move around the walls of the house to decidedly more colorful, but still “normal” specimens. Well, there are spiders that, compared to common arachnids, are true giants, spiders that immediately make us think of the famous Aragog from Harry Potter.
Most of them are tarantulas, from the infraorder of spiders. mygalomorphs. We can hardly forget them. But what are the largest spiders in the world? How much do they weigh, what size are their legs and where on the planet do they live?
READ also: Spiders in Italy: what are the most common species and how to distinguish the poisonous ones
Let’s discover together the most surprising species, those that do not go unnoticed, why these spiders can be seen and how.
goliath tarantula
@Wikimedia commons
The Goliath tarantula is the largest spider in the world. A kitchen scale also detects your weight. A specimen can even weigh more than 170 g. The males measure about 20 cm while the females, which are larger, are around 30 cm.
The Goliath tarantula is native to the rainforests of South America and is distributed in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, where it builds burrows in swampy areas. The species is poisonous and has a strange and not very appropriate international name.
This tarantula is known as Goliath Bird Eaterthe “bird eater”, but usually feeds on worms, cockroaches, rats and, very rarely, birds.
Giant hunting spider
@Wikimedia commons
Giant in name and in fact. This spider, maximum heteropods, It has the longest legs of all and an equally surprising weight of around 160g. But back to the legs. From tip to tip the legs measure 30 cm long, this is what is called “leg” or opening between the legs.
The species Maximum heteropods It was only discovered in 2001 in a cave in Laos, Southeast Asia. It is poisonous and lives near the caves of its country. Females usually devour males once mating is completed.
Lasiodora parahybana
@George Chernilevsky/Wikimedia Commons
the tarantula Lasiodora parahybana It is a dark-colored species widespread in Brazil, particularly in the Parahiba area, and it is also known by the name of Brazilian Salmon Pink. This tarantula has a body of approximately 10 cm and a leg span of 25.
The species is poisonous, but because it can be easily handled, it is very popular as a pet and is bred in captivity. In nature the Lasiodora parahybana It feeds on insects, amphibians and small reptiles.
Grammostola anthracine
@Erfil/Wikimedia Commons
Another equally poisonous giant spider comes from Brazil and the territories of South America. Its about Grammostola anthracine, a tarantula with a leg span of approximately 23 cm. The species also has another record. It is considered one of the longest-lived tarantulas in the world.
TO Grammostola anthracine It can live more than 20 years in the wild. Due to this characteristic, this type of tarantula is also in high demand and is trafficked illegally.
Poecilotheria rajaei
@Ranil Nanayakkara / British Tarantula Society
We left Brazil to land in Sri Lanka with the tarantula Poecilotheria rajaei. The species is new knowledge since it was discovered more than a decade ago. The first news began to circulate in 2013 when a giant spider with a leg length of 20 cm, found in a village, was described.
There Poecilotheria rajaei It is a relatively rare species as it lives in a very vulnerable habitat among ancient trees. It is poisonous, although its poison is not capable of killing a human being like that of others of its species, but who would want to find it under their feet?
baboon spider
@universearachnido/Wikimedia Commons
The king baboon spider or baboon spider, Pelinobio muticus, close our list. We moved to African lands, this is where the species comes from. This tarantula is widespread in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and is probably the largest on the continent.
The span of its legs is 20 cm, the body is rust-colored. The baboon spider is poisonous and famous for its bites that cause acute pain. It feeds on insects, reptiles and almost everything it finds nearby and defends itself by producing a particular sound, in addition to attacking enemies.
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