The largest spider in the world is Theraphosa blondi, commonly known as the Goliath birdeater, according to National Geographic. This tarantula can reach up to 11 inches in length and weigh 6 ounces; this size is big enough to cover a dinner plate, says Guinness World Records.
The world's largest known spider is a male goliath bird-eating spider (Theraphosa blondi) collected by members of the Pablo San Martin Expedition at Rio Cavro, Venezuela in April 1965. It had a record leg-span of 28 cm (11 in) - sufficient to cover a dinner plate.
A large species of tarantula native to the east coast region of Australia, the whistling spider, is the largest spider in the country. As the largest spider in Australia, whistling spiders can grow a leg span of up to 16 cm (6.2 inches) and a body size of around 6 cm (2.3 inches).
The giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima) is a species of the huntsman spider family Sparassidae found in Laos. It is considered the world's largest spider by leg span, which can reach up to 30 cm (1 ft).
They will never intentionally run towards you because they're small and not highly venomous. They can bite you, but they won't do any harm. "Huntsmen are super fast but they get confused, so if a huntsman is running towards you, it's confused.
Predators. Predators of Huntsman Spiders include birds and geckoes, Spider Wasps, nematode worms and egg parasites (wasps and flies).
The Australian funnel-web spiders are among the deadliest spiders in the world in the effect their bites have on humans and our primate relations (although the bite has little effect on dogs and cats). There are many species of funnel-web spiders in Australia but only male Sydney Funnel-webs have caused human deaths.
Huntsman spiders are a non-aggressive group of spiders. They are very timid and will try to avoid and when encountered can move at lighting-fast speed to escape human contact. However, a large individual can give a painful bite. Beware in summer when the female Huntsman Spider is guarding her egg sacs or young.
According to the Australian Reptile Park (opens in new tab), although huntsman spiders are venomous and their bites can be painful to humans, they do not cause anything more serious than mild nausea or headaches. Usually localized swelling and pain are the only symptoms of a huntsman spider bite.
So unless they did a complete overhaul of their respiratory system, a giant spider wouldn't be able to get enough oxygen to move around. This could be related to why some giant dragonflies were able to fly around 300 million years ago, when the atmosphere contained more oxygen (35% compared to 21% now).
The Mongolarachne are an extinct genus of giant spiders that existed during the Jurassic period. To date, only two fossilised specimens have been discovered, the previously named Nephila jurassica specimen, which is an adult female, and the Mongolarachne jurassica male.
The funnel web spider is widely regarded as the most dangerous arachnid. This Australian spider has a venom that is packed with 40 different toxic proteins.
They do not have venom glands, fangs or any other mechanism for chemically subduing their food. Therefore, they do not have injectable toxins. Some have defensive secretions that might be toxic to small animals if ingested.
The creatures were tiny, with a body length of about two-tenths of an inch, including the tail.
They range in size from the relatively small Tegenaria domestica to the quite large Tegenaria parietina, which can reach a leg span of 120mm (5 inches) in the adult male.
While the theory is unproven, it is likely that spiders can detect human fear. However, there are only few studies about this topic and it is not yet known for certain. Different animals have sensory organs that are able to identify different stimuli.
If you try to catch a huntsman and it runs towards you, it isn't attacking. It is trying to get to a safe place, away from the giant human thing looming over it. Given they have poor eyesight, sometimes they get it a little wrong and head towards us instead of away from us.
Huntsman have predators too and they are preyed on by geckos, other spiders and potter wasps.
The huntsman is one of the largest spiders in Western Australia — often with a leg span of up to 15 centimetres. Many people might cringe at the thought of huntsman spiders inside their homes, but WA Museum's head of terrestrial zoology Mark Harvey said the spider posed little danger to humans.
The Huntsman Spider
Low Risk and Non-toxic to humans. Non-aggressive. The name Huntsman is derived from their speed and agility when hunting prey. (Which has been known to be mice and small birds as well as other insects like cockroaches).
In Australia they are only found in the southeastern part of the country, from South Australia to Queensland via Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. You won't find them in the dry and arid zones. On the other hand, huntsman and wolf-spiders are found all over the country.
That is quite the sight, but picture this — millions of tiny spiders raining from the sky. While it can sound like something out of a horror movie, in Australia the transition from late summer to fall can trigger what is known to the locals as spider season.
Huntsman spiders can be found in many warm climates across the world, including Africa, the Americas, and much of Australasia. According to Australian Geographic, there are about 94 different species of Huntsman spiders known to occur in Australia, though it's believed that many more are yet to be formally discovered.