Where to Find the World's Biggest Spider
We're talking the size of a dinner plate.
For extremely brave travelers who like to cross superlatives off the bucket list, there's abizarre creature you can find only in the swampy rainforests of South America. Of all the creepy crawlies that populate the Earth, the largest known spider is definitely one of the freakiest, and it'sbeen spotted throughout northern Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. Light brown in color and endowed inch-long fangs, you could almost confuse the arachnid with one of those gag decorations you see hung up outside peoples homes during Halloween.
It's known as theGoliath Birdeater, or theraphosa blondi,and it's been described as being the size of a dinner plate." This gargantuan tarantula easily tops the list of the worlds largest spiders, even surpassing the oversized Huntsman with its body weight. Full-grown Goliath Birdeaters often reach nearly one foot in length, easily dwarfing its pet tarantula cousins. The largest one on record weighed in at more than six ouncesquite a bit heavier than the average house spider you might see scuttling across the attic.
Despite the name, Goliath Birdeaters rarely hunt birdsthough they can. When British naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian went to Suriname in 1699, she witnessed one of these spiders feasting on a hummingbird. Merian then immortalized the scene in a famous sketch. Typically, this oversized spider preys on earthworms and cockroaches (though an unlikely vertebratesuch as frogsand small mice are an occasional treat).
If you happen to be preparing for an adventurous trek through thejungles of South America, keep an eye out for a wild Goliath Birdeater.And should you encounter one, be sure to admire it from a distance. While its venom may be fairly harmless to humans, these small beasts can do damage with their body hair alone. Once threatened, they release a cloud of tiny barbed bristles that can lodge in the eyes, nose, and throat of their predator.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Goliath Birdeatersis that people keep them aspets.
Curious about the rest of the worlds largest things? Check out the worlds biggest church, or the 12 million-square-foot Dubai Mall.
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