10 largest spiders in the world

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Spiders are one of the most common species of animals; they are found in almost all corners of the planet, with the exception of Antarctica, although it is quite possible that several dozen individuals also live there, in the cozy walls of polar stations. According to scientists, there are about 42 thousand different species of arachnids in the world, all of them, with the exception of a few, are predators. For most, the appearance of a spider causes extremely unpleasant emotions, and about 7 percent of people experience a real irrational horror in front of them, called arachnophobia. However, despite the frightening appearance, there are only a relatively small number of poisonous species of these arthropods, while the rest do not pose an obvious danger to humans.

Most often we have to deal with miniature domestic spiders, occasionally – with the average-sized representatives of the spider kingdom. In Russia and European countries, spiders of small sizes are found mainly, for example, one of the largest species, the South Russian tarantula, taking into account the span of the paws, usually does not exceed 7 centimeters. However, the planet is also inhabited by real giants, meeting with whom will scare anyone. Introducing the ten largest spiders in the world.

The largest spider in the world: top 10 giants

Nomination	a place	Spider	Length with feet
The largest spider in the world: top 10 giants	1	Camel spider	15 cm.
	2	Brazilian wandering spider	17 CM.
	3	Cerbal arabian	20 CM.
	4	Royal baboon spider	20 CM.
	5	Purple tarantula	24 CM.
	6	Horse spider	25 CM.
	7	Salmon pink tarantula	27 CM.
	8	Heteropod maxim	30 CM.
	9	Giant crab spider	30 CM.
	10	Goliath tarantula	30 CM.

10th place – Camel spider

Rating: 4.1

The camel spider or solpuga, also called phalanx, lives in deserts and steppe regions. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia, but most often they can be seen in Central Asia. The body of a solpuga is 7 centimeters long, and taking into account the paws, the size of large individuals reaches 15 centimeters. They have a discreet yellow-brown color, which allows them to effectively camouflage themselves among sand and stones. Although solpugs are arachnids, they are distinguished from other species by the presence of an additional pair of paws.

Of all spiders, the camel spider has the strongest and strongest chelicerae, capable of biting through the wool, feathers and even thin bones of victims. Salpugi of insects, lizards, young birds and rodents are eaten. They hunt most often at night, while during the day they prefer to hide in holes or between stones. At the time of the attack on the victim, the solpuga reaches a speed of 16 kilometers per hour and is capable of jumping up to one meter. These spiders have an aggressive disposition, they are not afraid of either poisonous scorpions or larger animals. The bite of a solpuga does not contain poison, but it can cause infection with transmitted infections.

9th place – Brazilian wandering spider

Rating: 4.2

Also called the banana spider, this species is found in South and Central America, mostly in or near tropical forests. The length of the body is 5-7 centimeters, and in the span of the limbs it reaches 17 centimeters. The color is different, depending on the habitat: brown, reddish or black-brown. The spider leads an active lifestyle at night, and during the daytime it prefers to hide somewhere in a secluded place, most often under stones. Sometimes they also penetrate nearby human dwellings, climbing into boxes, inside shoes, and so on. Wandering spiders are divided into two types: running and jumping. The latter are distinguished by their ability to make quick jumps, overtaking prey. The diet consists of insects, small spiders, amphibians, rodents, and also bananas (for which they were called banana spiders).

The wandering spider does not try to catch its prey in its web, instead it constantly moves, traveling long distances in search of food. With his victim, he straightens out with the help of a poison injected with a bite. It is noteworthy that its poison is several times more toxic than that of a black widow and is a danger to human health. Banana spider venom also causes abnormal erections, and scientists have already begun using its ingredients to treat erectile dysfunction.

8th place – Arabian Cerbal

Rating: 4.3

Spiders of the species Cerbal arabian were discovered by zoologists relatively recently – in 2010. Their habitat is limited to Israel and Jordan, individuals live in the middle of sand dunes and near salt marshes. The reason for this late detection is primarily the behavioral factor of spiders, since they are exclusively nocturnal, and in addition, they are active mostly in the hottest summer months. Such a regime is due to the hot and arid climate of the Arabian Peninsula, forcing these predators to hide from the sultry sun rays, going out to hunt at night.

The body of spiders has a silvery-gray color, which alternates with characteristic black stripes on the legs. This allows him to blend in with the surrounding terrain, getting close to potential prey. Like many other spiders, females are much larger than males. The largest individuals reach 20 centimeters, taking into account the length of the paws.

7th place – Royal baboon spider

Rating: 4.4

The royal baboon spider, so named because of some similarity of its paws to the paws of monkeys, lives in East Africa, most often this species can be found in the subtropical forests of Tanzania and Kenya. The color ranges from orange-red to brown. The size of its body is on average 8-9 centimeters, and taking into account the span of its paws, the spider has up to 20 centimeters in length. The hind limbs are very thick, about 9 mm in diameter, they are used by the baboon spider to dig a burrow in which it spends almost all the time. These vertical burrows provide protection from heat, sun and large predators. The depth of such a shelter can reach two meters; it ends in a small living chamber. The spider braids the entire space inside the burrow and part of the territory near it with a web, so it can feel vibrations from potential prey passing by. If there is not enough of that, then he still leaves the shelter and hunts close.

Baboon spiders feed on insects, small mammals, lizards and other animals. Sometimes they even attack members of their own kind. The royal baboon spider is known for its aggressive nature, at the slightest irritation it rises on its hind legs and emits a hissing sound with the help of chelicera, and sensing danger, it can attack without warning. For a person, the poison is not fatal, but extremely painful, in addition, it causes swelling and muscle spasms.

6th place – Purple tarantula

Rating: 4.5

For the first time, researchers discovered the purple tarantula spider in 1875 on the territory of Colombia, for this reason it is also called the Colombian tarantula. However, he lives in other countries of Latin America: Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador and Peru. Most of all, the spider prefers moist tropical forests, where there are many potential prey. A distinctive feature of the species is its unusual color: its fleecy paws have a bright purple color, sometimes part of the body is also purple. The spider's body size is about 10 centimeters, and taking into account the length of the paws – 23-24 centimeters.

The Columbian tarantula, unlike most arachnids, does not weave webs. Instead, he watches for his prey from a secluded place. Potential victims include insects, amphibians, small rodents, and birds. For humans, a spider is not a threat, except for the fact that a provoked bite can cause allergies. Now the purple tarantula is considered a rare species and is listed in the Red Book.

5th place – Horse spider

Rating: 4.6

Representatives of this species live in the eastern part of Brazil, it was discovered in 1917. Horse spiders love the dense vegetation of tropical forests, hunt constantly, and usually become active at night. It is easy to recognize them by their coal-black color, sometimes with a light gray or brown tint. Young spiders are much lighter in color than adults. The leg span of a horse spider is 23-25 ​​centimeters, and its body length is up to 10 centimeters. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: males have longer legs, and females are superior to males in terms of body weight, they can weigh about 100-120 grams.

Horse spiders feed on insects, birds, amphibians and small reptiles. Possessing fast reflexes, they attack their victims with lightning speed, injecting a lethal dose of poison. This toxin is not dangerous for the human body, however, the spider also has special hairs on its legs that cause an allergic reaction, which it brushes against the enemy at the moment of threat.

4th place – Salmon-pink tarantula spider

Rating: 4.7

This species of tarantula spiders is found in Brazil, their habitat is limited to the eastern region of the country. It has a black or dark brown color, smoothly turning into a grayish tint with distance from the center of the body. The spider is called this because of the unusual color of the joints of the paws with the body. On the abdomen and paws, there is a thick coat of hair. The size of an adult, taking into account the paws, exceeds 26 centimeters, the length of the body itself is about 10 centimeters.

The tarantula hunts, hiding in ambush, as a prey, he chooses any prey available in size: snakes, birds, lizards, and so on. By nature, salmon-pink spiders are quite aggressive and, at the slightest sign of danger, prepare for an attack, shaking off poisonous hairs from their limbs.

3rd place – Heteropod maxim

Rating: 4.8

The spider species Heteropoda maxima became known relatively recently – it was found and described only in 2001. This giant is found in southeast Asia, in the inaccessible caves of the Lao province of Khammuan. The length of its body is small, only 45 millimeters, but its paws are really huge – from 25 to 30 centimeters. The spider is yellow-brown in color with black spots on the legs and head. Males and females are outwardly almost identical, except that the females are larger. The spider has large chelicerae, giving it a frightening appearance. Despite the dark habitat, the eyes are not reduced, unlike other cave spiders.

The maxima heteropod is still a poorly studied species. It is known that he leads an extremely secretive lifestyle, only occasionally leaving deep caves. Thanks to its long legs, the spider can move very quickly and change its direction of movement abruptly, which makes it an unrivaled hunter. The individual's diet consists of large insects, reptiles and other spiders, including weaker individuals of their own kind. The spider is poisonous, and after its bite, a person may need to be hospitalized.

2nd place – Giant crab spider

Rating: 4.9

The Australian giant crab spider was named for its huge, curved legs that resemble those of a crab. Such an unusual structure of the paws allows him to move at high speed, and not only forward, but also to the sides, which allows him to be attributed to the family of side-walk spiders. In the span of the limbs, the largest representatives of crab spiders reach a record thirty and a half centimeters. The color is light brown or grayish.

For living, they usually choose a forest area, where they arrange for themselves a dwelling under the bark of trees or stones. Also, spiders are very fond of climbing into settlements located near the forest, finding shelters there in secluded places inside wooden structures (therefore, the locals still sometimes call them tree spiders). The diet includes insects, amphibians and various invertebrates. Female crab spiders are caring parents and are extremely aggressive in protecting the hatched offspring.

1st place – Goliath tarantula

Rating: 5.0

The goliath tarantula or, scientifically speaking, Theraphosa blondi, is considered the largest species of the entire arachnid family. This “monster” is found in South America, mostly in tropical forests. The spider loses to the previous one in the span of the paws, which is about 28 centimeters, but significantly exceeds in other parameters. The length of the body of Therafose Blond is 10 centimeters, and its weight reaches 170 grams. The image of the arachnid is complemented by creepy two-centimeter fangs. Coloring can be any shade of brown, sometimes with white stripes on the legs.

The spider usually chooses deep damp burrows as a home, where it spends most of its time. On a hunt, the goliath tarantula eats at night, it lies in wait for prey in a secluded place, sharply pounces on it and injects poison with its huge chelicera. It is fed by mice, toads, snakes, and occasionally small birds like hummingbirds. For humans, the poison of Theraphosa blondi is not fatal, only sometimes it leads to an allergic reaction comparable in strength to the consequences of a wasp sting.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.