Posted on 08/17/2021 11:27:20 AM PDT by Red Badger
Giant huntsman spiders are one of the world's biggest spiders.
An Australian huntsman spider. Image credit: Shutterstock
Huntsman spiders are large, fast spiders that live in warm climates throughout the world. They are named for the way that they catch their prey.
Unlike many spider species, huntsman spiders "don't build webs to catch prey," said Christy Bills, an entomologist and the invertebrate collections manager at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Instead, these spiders hunt down their prey.
There are thousands of subspecies in this family (Sparassidae). The average huntsman spider species is about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long with a leg span of up to 5 inches (12.7 cm). The giant huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima), however, has a leg span of up to 12 inches (30 cm), making it the largest spider by diameter; it is often described as being "the size of a dinner plate." (The largest spider by weight is probably the goliath birdeater tarantula (Theraphosa blondi), according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.)
Peter Jäger, head of the arachnology department at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, discovered the giant huntsman in a cave in Laos in 2001, according to his research published in the journal Zoosystema. Only a few people in the world have seen this behemoth arachnid.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Tarantulas aren’t especially dangerous, just big......................
“ The huntsman he can’t hunt the fox nor so loudly to blow his horn
And the tinker he can’t mend kettle or pots without a little barleycorn”
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Australia: More deadly reptiles and invertebrates than any other country/continent. By far. But this one doesn’t seem to be any danger to humans.
Low Spark of High Heel Boys............................
“Imagine on falling out of a tree onto your head.................”
While living in Australia in 1976-78, I woke up one morning to have one crawling up the wall next to my head. Yes, I woke very fast.
A year later I was in Tasmania when one dropped from a porch onto my tie. Wide tie - but the Huntsman was bigger. Flicked it off quick.
50” screen here. That is one terrifyingly large spider.
“ Tarantulas aren’t especially dangerous, just big.....................”
Correct. The greater danger comes from the plate glass door I would run through or possibly the window I would jump out of upon encountering this relatively benign monster.
yeah i should...
the local chinese place has purrfected general tso’s kitten...
This is why tactical nuclear weapons were invented.
Didn’t like that one. But yeah sure.
It was my favorite. John Barleycorn is next...............
John Barleycorn must die album
Yeah... I don’t like those.
They are harmless...........................mostly.................
Every spider in the world has some kind of venom they use to paralyze their prey except certain species of tarantulas, if I remember correctly. So yes, tarantulas are probably among the least harmful to humans of all spider species. It’s funny how they’re also probably the ugliest and scariest.
I kill every damn spider I can.
Spiders are mostly benign except for Black Widows and Brown Recluse.
I have had spider bites that just leave a blue bruise for a few days and itch.................
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