Arthropods are the old companions of man. They inhabited the Earth long before he appeared on it. This type of animal is well studied, including the largest order of Spiders in terms of the number of species, which includes about 42 thousand units.
Many people are interested in record-breaking animals. For example, the largest, smallest, longest-lived, etc. What is the largest spider in the world? The answer to this question will be given below.
Ancient spiders
Giant spiders lived on our planet in prehistoric times. However, their size then, as scientists suggest, was much more impressive. In the modern world, the largest spider is no larger than the average size of a plate. In ancient times, according to researchers, there could be spiders the size of a small child. These assumptions are based on the existence of meganeurs, giant dragonflies that lived on the earth, confirmed by archaeological research. Earth in the Carboniferous period, whose wingspan was up to 1 meter. By analogy, it is believed that other insects, as well as arthropods that inhabited our planet in ancient times, could have been gigantic in size. However, this hypothesis has not been confirmed by archaeological finds. The name of the largest fossil spider is Nephila Jurassica. It was found in China, and is quite comparable in size to modern arthropods: the span of its paws is about 15 centimeters. This is a female.
General information
The largest spider in the world belongs to the family of tarantulas. Its name is Theraphosa blondi. The French scientist Pierre André Latreille described it in 1804, and since then it has been the focus of zoologists' attention. Found in the montane rainforests of northern Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname and Guyana, these arthropods are quite rare in nature.
The tarantulas dig deep burrows and line them with woven cobwebs. They leave their homes only for hunting and mating.
Description
Females of these tarantulas, also called goliaths, as is often the case in the animal kingdom, are much larger than males. The description of the largest spider in the world testifies to its unique size. So, the length of the body of the male goliath tarantula is about 85 mm, and the female is up to 100 mm. If you straighten all its limbs, then the dimensions of the arthropod will be about 28 cm! The average weight of a spider is about 150 grams.
The body of the goliath spider is dark brown in color, the limbs are covered with reddish-brown fine hairs. But this “plumage” is not an ornament, but a means of protection. Getting into the respiratory organs or on the skin of the opponent of the goliath, these hairs cause severe irritation and force him to retreat. Tarantulas comb hairs off themselves with sharp movements of their hind legs towards the enemy. In addition, small hairs serve as an organ of touch. With their help, goliaths are able to capture the smallest vibrations in the air or a solid medium. The hairs partially compensate for the spider's poor eyesight, helping it hunt at night.
On the front paws of males there are special outgrowths-hooks with which they hold the jaws of the female during the mating process in order to save their lives. After this process, the males hastily retreat.
Besides hairs, these giants also have one more weapon - a strong poison, which was considered deadly for a long time. In fact, in humans, it causes only a strong burning sensation and swelling. The pain is quite tolerable and can be compared with the sensations of a bee sting. But for those who suffer from allergies, the bite of a goliath tarantula can be a serious danger.
Reproduction
Goliath tarantulas reach sexual maturity at different times: males at the age of one and a half, and females - two - two and a half years. Until this time, males pass 9, and females - 10 molts. After mating, the females spin a small, about 3 cm long, cocoon into whichlay eggs. The spider vigilantly guards the masonry throughout the entire breeding time (6-7 weeks), and even going hunting, carries it with her. At this time, she is most aggressive, and meeting her does not bode well. Little spiderlings live in a hole with their mother until the first molt, then leave the shelter.
Food
The diet of this arthropod is quite varied. It includes insects, as well as small animals - snakes, frogs, lizards, rodents. Despite its name, it does not attack birds, except that it can feast on a chick that has fallen from the nest.
When attacking a prey, the goliath tarantula first bites it, immobilizing it with its venom, and injects digestive juices into its body to soften the flesh. This allows the spider to suck out nutrients while leaving the hard shells intact.
Captivity
Those who are going to keep these giants at home should provide them with the usual conditions. The optimum temperature for keeping these arthropods is 22-24 degrees Celsius, humidity is 70-80%. Since this spider is burrowing and nocturnal, there must be a shelter in the terrarium. Good ventilation must be provided. At the bottom of the terrarium there should be a layer of substrate 6-8 cm thick.
Feed the spider should be small insects and pieces of meat. Lizards, mice and frogs can be used to feed adults.
It should be remembered that this arthropod has a rather nervous and aggressive character, andit must be handled with care. The tarantula is not friendly, and if the owner wants to accustom him to hands, you need to do it gradually, carefully removing the pet from the terrarium to avoid bites.
Interesting facts
Here are some interesting facts about Theraphosa blondi:
- The largest spider in the world owes its name to the famous illustrator, engraver of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, Maria Sibylle Merian, whose drawings enriched botany and zoology. It is difficult to overestimate her contribution to science, because the artist left many images of plants, insects, and animals. Even today her drawings amaze with exceptional accuracy and liveliness of colors. Inspired by the story of researchers who allegedly saw how the world's largest goliath spider devours a bird, she depicted this scene in one of her works, and the legend thus gained further circulation.
- An interesting feature of goliath tarantulas is the so-called stridulation - the ability to make peculiar hissing sounds by rubbing chelicerae - oral appendages against each other. It is supposed to be used in nature by these giants to scare off enemies.
- The Theraphosa blondi population in nature is quite small and is declining year by year. One of the reasons for this is that not only the spiders themselves, but also their eggs are considered a real delicacy among the locals, and they are happy to eat them.
- Mostlarge and dangerous spiders in the world for humans are not tarantulas at all. They are considered to be arthropods called Brazilian wandering spiders (genus Phoneutria). Their sizes are much more modest, only about 10 cm, but the poison is much more toxic. The bite of Brazilian wandering spiders is moderately painful, but in the absence of medical attention, it causes paralysis and respiratory arrest. However, there is an effective antidote against this neurotoxin (PhTx3), so the number of deaths is less than it could be.
Note
In some lists of the largest and most terrible spiders, Heteropoda maxima, a species discovered in 2001 in Laos, erroneously takes the first place. Indeed, this arthropod has a larger limb span - up to 30 mm. However, the goliath tarantula significantly exceeds it in body size: 85 and 100 mm in males and females, respectively, against 30 and 46 mm. Thus, of these giant spiders, Theraphosa blondi is still considered the largest spider in the world.
In conclusion
The article briefly described the largest spider in the world. Although it does not pose a particular danger to humans, its size inspires respect. This unique creature, despite its repulsive appearance, is an integral harmonious part of wildlife and occupies its rightful place in it. We hope that the information presented in the material will be interesting and useful for readers.
