Giant Huntsman Spider

 

This week I am writing about another spider this time we are looking at the giant huntsman spider this is a very large species of huntsman spider.

It’s famous because it has the largest leg span of any known spider, reaching about 25–30 cm — roughly the size of a dinner plate. Its body is much smaller, around 4.6 cm long.

This spider can be found mainly in Laos, especially in caves and cave-like habitats. It was formally described in 2001 by German arachnologist Peter Jäger after being found in a cave. It is not found in Australia even though Australia does have large huntsman spiders.

It’s yellowish-brown with long, sideways-facing legs, giving it a crab-like stance. Huntsman spiders are built for speed rather than web-building.

When it comes to their food it eats insects and may also take small vertebrates such as small reptiles or rodents, which is why they actively chases prey which is different to normal web-spinning spiders.

Despite its size, it is not considered dangerous to humans. A bite would usually be defensive and is generally described as causing mild symptoms rather than serious harm.

So even though it looks terrifying because of its huge legs and speed, because it’s a reclusive cave-dwelling predator not found in a lot of places it isn’t regarded as a serious threat to people.