Did You Know?

 

Choose an arachnid
-- select -- Arizona Stripe Tail Scorpion Brazilian Black Tarantula Brown Recluse Spider Costa Rican Tiger Rump Tarantula Curly Hair Tarantula Desert Hairy Scorpion Emperor Scorpion Goliath Birdeater Tarantula Green Bottle Blue Tarantula Indian Ornamental Tarantula Jumping Spider Mexican Blonde Tarantula Mexican Red Knee Tarantula Mexican Red Leg Tarantula Pink Toed Tarantula Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula Sugar City Brown Tarantula Vinegaroon Western Black Widow Spider

Goliath Birdeater Tarantula

Common Name: Goliath Birdeater Tarantula

Scientific Name: Theraphosa blondii

Order: Araneae

Range: Found in rainforests of Suriname (French Guyana).

Diet: The species is one of the few that regularly preys on small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards, and frogs.

Reader Rail Information: The largest species of spider in the world. Females can be over 11 inches including their legs. The common name is a misnomer, as it is incapable of climbing very high to capture birds. Early naturalists to the Amazon were told many tall tales by the indigenous peoples and early reports were published depicting these animals as savage bird-snatching spiders. This species likes to burrow near the bases of large trees and it readily flicks urticating (itching) hairs defensively. The natives of French Guyana (Suriname) capture and roast this species, considering it a delicacy.

Click to Print This Page