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Today I thought I would
share what is the largest spider in the world, it is the Goliath Birdeater
which is a tarantula native to northern South America. It has a leg span up to about 30cm and weight
is up to about 179gm.
Despite the name, it
rarely eats birds; it mostly eats insects, worms, frogs, and small animals.
It is not considered
deadly to humans, but its bite can be painful—often compared to a wasp sting and
may cause swelling, redness, and discomfort, but its venom is generally mild
for people.
Its main defence is
actually flicking tiny irritating hairs from its abdomen, which can cause
itching, skin irritation, or eye irritation if they get into your eyes.
So, it is dangerous
if handled carelessly, but it is not usually life-threatening to humans.
It lives mainly in
the humid tropical rainforests of northern South America, especially in places
such as Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil.
Preferring warm,
damp forest-floor habitats where there is plenty of leaf litter, soft soil, and
cover. Rather than building webs to catch prey, it usually lives in burrows,
often ones it digs itself or takes over from other animals. These burrows help
it stay hidden from predators, keep moist, and avoid extreme temperatures.
It is mostly
nocturnal, meaning it comes out at night to hunt insects, worms, frogs, and
other small animals near the forest floor
Its
lifespan depends strongly on sex as females can live a very long time for a
spider — often 15 to 25 years in captivity, sometimes reported around 20+
years.
Males live much
shorter lives, usually about 3 to 6 years, and often die not long after
reaching maturity.
Here are a few other
facts:
It makes a hissing
sound: When threatened, it can rub bristles on its legs together to create a
warning sound called stridulation.
It flicks irritating
hairs: Instead of relying mainly on venom, it kicks tiny barbed hairs from its
abdomen toward predators.
It lives in burrows:
It spends much of its time hidden underground and often lines its burrow with
silk.
It hunts by ambush:
It does not spin a web to trap prey; it waits, then quickly grabs prey with its
fangs.
Females guard egg
sacs: Female Goliath birdeaters protect their egg sacs, which can contain many
spiderlings.
It moults as it
grows: Like other tarantulas, it sheds its outer skeleton, a vulnerable process
during which it hides and avoids feeding.
If measuring by leg
span only, the giant huntsman spider can sometimes rival or exceed it, but the
Goliath birdeater is generally considered the largest overall.
