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Are you scared of spiders? 🕷
Just the thought of their spindly, scurrying legs is enough to make some kids shiver.
We’re celebrating this spooky season by looking at some of the most terrifying spiders on the planet. 😱
If you didn’t have arachnophobia (fear of spiders) already, you probably will by the end…
Prowling the rainforests of South America is the Goliath birdeater.
It’s the world's largest known spider by body length (measuring up to 13 cm; 5.1 in) and by mass (weighing up to 175 g; 6.2 oz).
It’s a similar size to a dinner plate and probably bigger than your head! 😲
The only spider with longer legs is the giant huntsman.
As well as eating birds, the Goliath enjoys feasting on mice, lizards, frogs and insects. This huge spider eats its prey by turning its insides to liquid then sucking it dry. 🤮
This terrifying title belongs to the male Sydney funnel-web spider. 🕷
A bite from this spider is very painful. Even a tiny amount of its venom can be deadly for humans. 🤕
As you’ve probably guessed already, the Sydney funnel-web spider is from Sydney, Australia. It can be found lurking in moist habitats; under logs, leaves and even in gardens too!
You definitely don’t want to find one of these guys while you’re playing outside. 😱
Interestingly, their venom is not particularly dangerous to many other animals.
The speediest spider on Earth is the Moroccan flic-flac spider, which can reach speeds of up to 1.7 m/s (3.8 mph) when trying to escape predators.
It reaches these super speeds using a cool rolling movement, similar to cartwheeling. 🤸
When threatened, the flic-flac spider starts doing forward flips, getting faster with each one. This technique allows it to double its normal speed, but uses a lot of energy – spiders can only do short bursts before getting tired.
This spider has bigger muscles than Larry the Lobster! 🦞️
The Californian trapdoor spider takes its name from the ‘trapdoor’ it creates to cover the entrance to its underground burrow.
This strong spider is able to resist a force 38 times its own bodyweight attempting to open its trapdoor. 💪
Even the best Olympic powerlifters are only able to lift three times their own bodyweight!
The vampire spider is a species of jumping spider that loves drinking blood. They can only be found around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. 🧛
The vampire spider gets its fix of blood by feeding upon female Anopheles mosquitoes, in particular those that have recently sucked blood from a host animal.
Vampire spiders are fussy eaters. They won’t eat male Anopheles because these mosquitoes feed on sugar and nectar. Vampire spiders only want blood! 😋
This record is no longer active, but watching these past attempts is sure to make you squirm! 🕷
🎃Happy Halloween! 👻