The United States is home to some nastyspiders , but most of them can be grok with an overturned cup and a sheet of paper . That is n’t the typesetter’s case with South America ’s Goliath bird - eating spider . With a leg - span measure intimately a foot wide-cut and a system of weights transcend a third of a pound , the Lycosa tarentula is the largest spider in the world .
According toNational Geographic , the Goliath birdeater gets its name from an 18th - century etching that shows a congenator of the arachnid preying on a hummingbird . In realness , they almost never eat doll . Insects are their meal of choice , though they have been known to chow down on the occasional toad , black eye , or lounge lizard .
Weighing more than somenewborn puppiesat 6 Panthera uncia , Theraphosa blondidoesn’t need to weave webs to ensnare larger quarry . It pounces on its victim and injects them with neurotoxin using its large fang . The venom liquefies the fauna ’s inside , create it well-fixed for the spider to slurp out the nutrients .
They weigh more than any wanderer on Earth , but the Goliath birdeater is puny compare to other predators in the rain forest . To protect itself , the species has evolved a defensive measure chemical mechanism that uses the bristles covering its body . When threatened , the tarantula smartly rubs its back legs against its abdomen , shooting its barbed hairs into the air and irritating the eyes , mouth , and skin of anyone unlucky enough to be nearby .
Neither a morsel nor a hairsbreadth - missile onrush fromT. blondiwould do serious damage to a human , but if you ’re arachnophobic , we still commend avoiding theforestsof Venezuela , northern Brazil , Guyana , French Guiana , and Suriname . To watch the eight - legged giant from a safe distance , check out the video below .
[ h / tNational Geographic ]
