Most big spider in the world March 15th, 2013
Giant spiders lived back in the era of dinosaurs and then their size was not something incredible. As for our time, you can still meet such spiders, although for many people meeting them will cause either panic or admiration.
Next we will talk about one of these spiders - the Goliath tarantula or Blond's theraphosis. He is one of the most big spiders in the world, since the length of its body in the leg span can reach 28 centimeters!
This formidable predator is quite widespread in tropical forests some countries in South America, namely northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. It is most often found in damp, swampy areas.
The body of the spider consists of the cephalothorax and abdominal sections. The eyes and eight legs make up the cephalothorax of the spider. The abdominal organ includes the spinal organ, heart and genitals. Excretory system passes through the entire body of the spider. The abdominal part of the female has an egg chamber.
Despite the fact that the spider has poor eyesight, it is able to see in the dark. Like all tarantulas, the goliath is a carnivore. Sitting quietly in ambush, it lies in wait for its prey, then pounces on it using its fangs.
Although the spider is called a tarantula, it does not feed on birds. It’s just that the spider was seen for the first time when it was eating a bird. Vertebrates and invertebrates such as mice, lizards, small snakes, beetles, and butterflies are the main diet of the goliath.
Representatives of the goliath tarantula who are 3 years old are considered adults (mature). Sometimes after mating, the female eats her “favorite”. The goliath has sharp spines on the first pair of limbs, which serve as its protection from the female. The male lives on average about 6 years. The female can be up to 14 years old.
The female lays from 200 to 400 eggs, which she incubates for two months. After the little spiders are born, the mother spider looks after them for several weeks, after which they lead an independent lifestyle.
The goliath tarantula is distinguished by aggressive character traits. Sensing danger, it emits a peculiar hissing sound due to the friction of the bristles on its legs. Fangs, the length of which is a couple of centimeters, as well as burning villi serve as protection. The fangs are poisonous, but not very toxic compared to other poisonous insects.
The refuge for these spiders are deep burrows, which previously served as a home for small rodents until they met their current owner. The entrance to the burrow is protected by cobwebs, and all the walls from the inside are also shrouded in it. Females spend here most of their lives, they come out only at night during the hunt and during the mating period. Leave the house at for a long time not in their rules. Often spiders hunt nearby and drag the prey to their lair.
Besides size, there is another difference between male and female. The males have small hooks on their front legs, with which he holds the female’s huge chelicerae during mating, saving his life in this way. The color of these spiders is most often dark brown, and there are reddish-brown hairs on their legs. Because of these numerous hairs, which also cover the entire body, these spiders are also jokingly called “fluffy”.
But this is not a decoration at all, but one of the means of protection against uninvited guests. The fact is, when these hairs get on the skin, lungs or mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, they cause severe irritation. In order for the “weapon” to reach its target, the spiders brush hairs from their abdomen in the direction of the enemy with sharp movements of their hind legs. In addition, they serve as an organ of touch for the spider. The hairs pick up the slightest vibrations of the earth and air. But they see poorly.
For a long time it was believed that the venom of the goliath tarantula is very dangerous and most often leads to fatal outcome, but it turned out that this is far from the case. The effect of a spider bite can be compared to a bee sting. A small swelling appears at the site, which is accompanied by quite tolerable pain. Although for allergy sufferers its bite can be dangerous.
Spider venom has a paralyzing effect on nervous system smaller prey such as frogs, small snakes, insects, rodents, lizards and other small animals. The victim is unable to move after being bitten.
To feed, tarantulas inject digestive juice into the body of the “dinner,” which breaks down soft tissue and allows the spider to suck out the liquid and eat the soft meat of its prey.
The most interesting thing is that the tarantula does not feed on birds. Well, if only very in rare cases when he comes across a chick that has fallen from the nest. The spider got its name thanks to the German entomologist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian, who was the first to sketch it. They show a spider eating a small hummingbird. This is where the name “tarantula” stuck to it. The official description of this tarantula spider belongs to the entomologist Latreille (1804).
The following information may seem a little wild to you, but among local residents these spiders are a delicacy and they use not only adult specimens, but also spider eggs. As a result, the population of these animals in natural environment habitat is gradually decreasing. 
This individual behaves quite aggressively and does not like to be picked up. And although the goliath’s venom is not very toxic, quite a lot of it is released.
If you have tarantula goliath, then the terrarium in which he lives will look not like a dish with soil, but like a place where a very serious animal lives. The terrarium for the spider should be spacious enough.
The terrarium can be either plastic or glass, horizontal type. The volumes should be on average 25-35 liters with a closing lid. The lid is needed to prevent your pet from suddenly deciding to take a walk outside the terrarium. Spiders should be kept separately due to their inherent cannibalism.
Sphagnum, pine sawdust, and vermiculite are used for bedding. The best solution would be to choose coconut substrate more than 5 cm as bedding. In order for the animal to have the opportunity to make a hole for itself, a coconut shell or a medium-sized piece of bark should be placed in the terrarium.
The temperature regime for normal maintenance should be within 22-26C, but they can easily tolerate a drop in temperature to 15C. The main thing is that the temperature of the engorged spider is not too low. In this case, there is a high probability of the onset of putrefactive processes of food in the spider’s stomach. Humidity should be high - 75-85%. If the humidity is insufficient, there may be a problem with the normal molting of the animal. To maintain humidity, install a water bowl and mist the terrarium regularly. Provide good ventilation, this will protect the spider from fungal infections.
The feeding process can take more than a day. The goliath spider feeds on small insects. Adults successfully cope with frogs and mice.
The feeding frequency of young spiders is twice a week, adults feed once a week, one and a half times. There is no need to feed young spiders with insects that are too large, i.e. such that would exceed the size of half the abdomen of a goliath. This can cause stress and, as a result, food refusal.
The maximum time that a goliath spider can go without food is about 6 months. But of course you shouldn’t experiment with your pet.
The most difficult period in the life of a spider is molting. At these moments you should not touch or irritate them. During molting, the Goliath tarantula and other spiders move little and do not eat anything. The regularity of shedding depends on the age of the animal. Young individuals shed regularly, but adults molt every two months or a year.
An interesting fact is that the web of tarantulas does not serve as a trap for the prey, like other representatives of this species; tarantulas are real hunters, they track and attack prey. Tarantulas wait for their prey in ambush and jump on it. This feature, as well as their coloring, led to the fact that local residents call tarantulas “earth tigers.”
Arachnophobia - the fear of spiders - is a fairly common fear. Does it have a real basis? Are there really giant spiders that can cause horror?! Entomologists are ready to give reasoned answers on this matter...
Just recently, Chinese scientists discovered an ancient giant spider fossil. The find was discovered in the sediments Jurassic period, in a layer of volcanic ash in the province of Inner Mongolia. It's just a well-preserved fossilized imprint. Paleontologists suggest that the spider lived on earth 165 million years ago! The size of the insect is impressive: the limbs alone are about 15 centimeters. It was named Nephila jurassica.
The bottom of the ancient lake where the spider cliche was found was generously covered volcanic ash. Thanks to this “preservative”, other insects, as well as reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals, were preserved. Scientists assume that they all died as a result of a volcanic eruption. Judging by the print, entomologists concluded that it was a spider, since the females were twice as large as the males. Nephila jurassica is very similar to its modern counterparts, which now live in Australia, the USA, Asia, Africa and Madagascar. Representatives of this class of insects love a humid tropical climate.
So far, the fossil find of Chinese scientists is the most gigantic of all those found previously. The body length of the spider is 3 cm, the limbs are 15 cm. This confirms the hypothesis that at the dawn of the Jurassic era, giant spiders lived on Earth. Although modern entomologists in 2001 found in one of the Laotian caves a much larger individual of Heteropoda maxima: with a paw span of 30 cm.
They weave a huge web, 1.5 m in diameter. They feed on birds and bats. Apparently, these are the successors of Jurassic spiders. Scientists are not surprised by the size, since they also know that in Carboniferous period were found on Earth giant dragonflies, whose wingspan was 75 cm. However, the largest spider listed in the Guinness Book of Records was found in Venezuela in 1965. This is the Terafosa Blond spider, its leg span reached 28 cm. At the same time, it had a large body, like all tarantulas - 9 cm. These individuals are able to dine not only on birds, lizards, but frogs and even snakes.
Meanwhile, modern entomologists announced another find interesting for arachnophiles - a spider of amazing size was found in Sri Lanka with human head! This is a tarantula Poecilotheria rajaei with a paw length of 10 cm. They were looking for it for more than ten years, in 2009 they managed to find only a dead specimen. And so the search was crowned with success - a spider with several cubs was found in the forests of Sri Lanka on a special expedition. This is the largest specimen of tarantulas, but has the characteristic pale yellow legs and pink stripes around the abdomen.
The joy of the researchers knew no bounds, this is very rare view. Spiders build their nests in the hollows of old trees. The reason for the decline in their population was the consistent destruction forest areas. This is a subspecies of tarantulas, they are natural predators. They eat not only fresh meat birds. But also small insects, rodents and even fish! Tarantulas don't weave webs or build traps, they attack from ambush!
So it makes sense for arachnophobes to be wary huge spiders, They exist! But still, they are not as huge as in the fairy tale about Harry Potter, where acromantula spiders are described as the size of a house...
Giant spiders lived back in the era of dinosaurs and then their size was not something incredible. As for our time, you can still meet such spiders, although for many people meeting them will cause either panic or admiration.
Next we will talk about one of these spiders - the Goliath tarantula or Blond's theraphosis. It is he who is one of the largest spiders in the world, since the length of his body in the leg span can reach 28 centimeters!
This formidable predator is quite widespread in the tropical forests of some South American countries, namely northern Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. It is most often found in damp, swampy areas.
The body of the spider consists of the cephalothorax and abdominal sections. The eyes and eight legs make up the cephalothorax of the spider. The abdominal organ includes the spinal organ, heart and genitals. The excretory system runs through the entire body of the spider. The abdominal part of the female has an egg chamber.
Despite the fact that the spider has poor eyesight, it is able to see in the dark. Like all tarantulas, the goliath is a carnivore. Sitting quietly in ambush, it lies in wait for its prey, then pounces on it using its fangs.
Although the spider is called a tarantula, it does not feed on birds. It’s just that the spider was seen for the first time when it was eating a bird. Vertebrates and invertebrates such as mice, lizards, small snakes, beetles, and butterflies are the main diet of the goliath.
Representatives of the goliath tarantula who are 3 years old are considered adults (mature). Sometimes after mating, the female eats her “favorite”. The goliath has sharp spines on the first pair of limbs, which serve as its protection from the female. The male lives on average about 6 years. The female can be up to 14 years old.
The female lays from 200 to 400 eggs, which she incubates for two months. After the little spiders are born, the mother spider looks after them for several weeks, after which they lead an independent lifestyle.
The goliath tarantula is distinguished by aggressive character traits. Sensing danger, it emits a peculiar hissing sound due to the friction of the bristles on its legs. Fangs, the length of which is a couple of centimeters, as well as burning villi serve as protection. The fangs are poisonous, but not very toxic compared to other poisonous insects.
The refuge for these spiders are deep burrows, which previously served as a home for small rodents until they met their current owner. The entrance to the burrow is protected by cobwebs, and all the walls from the inside are also shrouded in it. Females spend most of their lives here, coming out only at night to hunt and during mating. Leaving the house for a long time is not in their rules. Often spiders hunt nearby and drag the prey to their lair.
Besides size, there is another difference between male and female. The males have small hooks on their front legs, with which he holds the female’s huge chelicerae during mating, saving his life in this way. The color of these spiders is most often dark brown, and there are reddish-brown hairs on their legs. Because of these numerous hairs, which also cover the entire body, these spiders are also jokingly called “fluffy”.
But this is not a decoration at all, but one of the means of protection against uninvited guests. The fact is, when these hairs get on the skin, lungs or mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, they cause severe irritation. In order for the “weapon” to reach its target, the spiders brush hairs from their abdomen in the direction of the enemy with sharp movements of their hind legs. In addition, they serve as an organ of touch for the spider. The hairs pick up the slightest vibrations of the earth and air. But they see poorly.
For a long time it was believed that the venom of the goliath tarantula is very dangerous and most often leads to death, but it turned out that this is far from the case. The effect of a spider bite can be compared to a bee sting. A small swelling appears at the site, which is accompanied by quite tolerable pain. Although for allergy sufferers its bite can be dangerous.
Spider venom has a paralyzing effect on the nervous system of smaller prey, such as frogs, small snakes, insects, rodents, lizards and other small animals. The victim is unable to move after being bitten.
To feed, tarantulas inject digestive juice into the body of the “dinner,” which breaks down soft tissue and allows the spider to suck out the liquid and eat the soft meat of its prey.
The most interesting thing is that the tarantula does not feed on birds. Well, if only in very rare cases, when a chick that has fallen from the nest gets in his way. The spider got its name thanks to the German entomologist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian, who was the first to sketch it. They show a spider eating a small hummingbird. This is where the name “tarantula” stuck to it. The official description of this tarantula spider belongs to the entomologist Latreille (1804).
The following information may seem a little wild to you, but among local residents these spiders are a delicacy and they use not only adult specimens, but also spider eggs. As a result, the population of these animals in their natural habitat is gradually decreasing.
This individual behaves quite aggressively and does not like to be picked up. And although the goliath’s venom is not very toxic, quite a lot of it is released.
If you have tarantula goliath, then the terrarium in which he lives will look not like a dish with soil, but like a place where a very serious animal lives. The terrarium for the spider should be spacious enough.
The terrarium can be either plastic or glass, horizontal type. The volumes should be on average 25-35 liters with a closing lid. The lid is needed to prevent your pet from suddenly deciding to take a walk outside the terrarium. Spiders should be kept separately due to their inherent cannibalism.
Sphagnum, pine sawdust, and vermiculite are used for bedding. The best solution would be to choose coconut substrate more than 5 cm as bedding. In order for the animal to have the opportunity to make a hole for itself, a coconut shell or a medium-sized piece of bark should be placed in the terrarium.
The temperature regime for normal maintenance should be within 22-26C, but they can easily tolerate a drop in temperature to 15C. The main thing is that the temperature of the engorged spider is not too low. In this case, there is a high probability of the onset of putrefactive processes of food in the spider’s stomach. Humidity should be high - 75-85%. If the humidity is insufficient, there may be a problem with the normal molting of the animal. To maintain humidity, install a water bowl and mist the terrarium regularly. Provide good ventilation, this will protect the spider from fungal infections.
The feeding process can take more than a day. The goliath spider feeds on small insects. Adults successfully cope with frogs and mice.
The feeding frequency of young spiders is twice a week, adults feed once a week, one and a half times. There is no need to feed young spiders with insects that are too large, i.e. such that would exceed the size of half the abdomen of a goliath. This can cause stress and, as a result, food refusal.
The maximum time that a goliath spider can go without food is about 6 months. But of course you shouldn’t experiment with your pet.
The most difficult period in the life of a spider is molting. At these moments you should not touch or irritate them. During molting, the Goliath tarantula and other spiders move little and do not eat anything. The regularity of shedding depends on the age of the animal. Young individuals shed regularly, but adults molt every two months or a year.
An interesting fact is that the web of tarantulas does not serve as a trap for the prey, like other representatives of this species; tarantulas are real hunters, they track and attack prey. Tarantulas wait for their prey in ambush and jump on it. This feature, as well as their coloring, has led local residents to call tarantulas “land tigers.”
Although the Goliath tarantula is considered the largest spider in the world, there is still one species that surpasses it in the span of its limbs, but is significantly inferior in body size - Heteropoda maxima, whose leg span reaches 30 centimeters. The largest specimen was discovered in 2001 in Laos, in one of the caves in Khammouane province.
sources
http://www.8lap.ru
http://exomania.com.ua
http://ianimal.ru
http://quickfly.ru
Website materials used: http://masterok.livejournal.com/789435.html
Spiders are classified as arthropods. All representatives of the species are predators, feed mainly on insects, and can eat small animals of other orders. Spiders are ubiquitous. This is one of the most numerous types on the planet. Spiders may be found different sizes: both small and large.
Top 10 largest spiders in the world
In this rating we have collected the 10 largest spiders. They are the most poisonous, and they look frightening (from the point of view of people). Some people, thanks to such specimens, develop arachnophobia - the fear of arachnids.
A spider that belongs to the species that weaves the largest webs in the world. On average, the size of female and male individuals does not exceed thirteen centimeters. The color is yellow-greenish, and the belly and head are white.
They are poisonous, but their poison cannot kill a person. They live in arid countries. They don't live more than a year, and within a couple of days after mating they die. Only females weave webs. The threads have a golden glow, which is why these spiders are called golden weavers. Webs are very strong, people decided to take advantage of this. In America, in the Museum of Natural History, there is a canvas created from nephil webs.
Spiders always live next to us in the literal sense: they settle in houses. The body length of these animals does not exceed fifteen centimeters, but due to their long eight legs they appear much larger.
The coloring of the representatives is dull. They are considered the best long distance runners, with their legs it's no wonder! In the wild, they live in arid countries, choosing caves for their homes.
A species that is also one of the most poisonous in the world, although its size is no more than ten centimeters. The representatives are very fast and extremely active. Everything would be fine, but meeting them is life-threatening. They don't spin webs like many others, they just don't need to. They never stay in one place for long - they wander. People from South America often find these spiders in food boxes or clothing.
Favorite food brazilian spider– bananas, they just love them. Because of this, the second name of this animal is banana spider. It hunts mostly other animals, sometimes birds and lizards that are larger than it. It will not attack a person unnecessarily, only for the purpose of self-defense, but the problem is different. They like to hide and are difficult to spot, making them very easy to disturb.
A spider whose existence scientists only recently learned about. The size can exceed twenty centimeters.
It was discovered in Israel, which was the reason for the name. We found it so late due to the animal’s nocturnal lifestyle. They prefer to live in deserts. Females are many times larger than males.
The kind that doesn't represent great danger for people. He will only attack in self-defense. Such an individual can grow up to thirty centimeters. Leads predominantly night look life, poisoning small animals with its poison. During the daytime, it prefers to dig a hole next to the grass and weaves webs along its diameter for hunting.
Due to their large size, they are popular as pets, but do not forget that they are not exactly friendly neighbors. It’s not for nothing that they were called baboons; monkeys love to feast on these animals.
The tarantula spider, whose occupation is relatively clear from the name. Lives in tropical forests. If we take into account the limbs, the size of the individual can exceed thirty-five centimeters.
They pose no danger to humans, which is why they are so popular as pets. However, their stomach cannot digest exclusively poultry; they feed equally on small insects and other spiders. They don't weave webs.
A species that has a number of humps on its head, leading to frequent comparisons with camels, hence the name. They feed mainly on mammals.
Very fast. They reach sizes of more than thirty centimeters. The bites are painful. Usually injuries pass without any consequences, sometimes everything ends in failure.
One of the most large representatives in the world. The size can be more than thirty centimeters. IN wildlife usually feeds on birds, lizards, snakes, small mammals and insects.
Develops fast speed, making it impossible for victims to escape. Almost the most popular species for breeding at home.
A representative who got his name from large sizes, exceeding thirty centimeters, and due to its ugly appearance with legs similar to crab claws. Females live about fifteen years.
People are attacked only in self-defense, but it is still better to avoid them. The color is brown, some individuals have red or white spots. They jump great.
The most giant spider in the world throughout history is the goliath tarantula. This species can hunt almost all medium-sized animals. Various photos and the videos prove how scary the animal can be.
A representative discovered in Venezuela was included in the Guinness Book of Records at the end of the twentieth century. The leg span exceeded twenty-eight centimeters. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a spider was found whose legs were longer, but whose body was much smaller. Goliath was first described by the French. It is known that females are larger than males. Their bodies are dark brown. The legs are covered with red-brown hairs.
He lives in South America. Prefers to live in burrows, the entrance to which is covered with cobwebs. Exporting outside the country in which the spider lives is prohibited. It rarely breeds in captivity. This the only kind in a world that hunts snakes. Usually it happens like this: he waits for the victim, hiding in a shelter, then very quickly paralyzes him with poison, and then drags him away.
Although the size is impressive, this species should not be classified as the largest poisonous spider. The strength of the poison is not so strong, it is only enough for a small animal, for people it is comparable to a bee sting. What’s scary about this animal is completely different. In case of any possible danger, it turns its back to the attacker and throws off special hairs from its back, which cause irritation of the mucous membranes.
Poisonous spider Goliath tarantula | Poisonous spider Goliath tarantula If you hear an angry hiss while near a goliath, you better move away, he will attack soon. This hissing is created by the hind legs rubbing against each other. Many people are afraid of spiders and avoid them, this is correct solution. However, we should not forget that these animals can just as easily be afraid of people. Don't react violently when meeting someone poisonous species, try to leave the meeting place as quickly and quietly as possible. Some people advise burning all the grass in the meeting area, but there is no need to spoil vegetable world, this won't help.
Residents of Russia should not be too afraid of spiders: in our latitudes dangerous species are not found because the climate is not entirely suitable for them. Poisonous spiders prefer to live in deserts or tropical forests.
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