Most big spider in the world discovered in the last century in Venezuela. The body length was 9 cm, the leg span reached 28 cm. The list of the largest representatives of arachnids includes inhabitants of tropical countries, but some of them live in Russia. All of them inject a toxic substance when they bite, but none of them are capable of killing a person.
Top 10 giant spiders
There are about 42 thousand in the world. When bitten, a poisonous substance is injected, paralyzing the victim, saliva is injected, which liquefies the insides, and the contents are sucked out. But not always the best huge spider is the most dangerous for humans.
Theraphosa Blonda or Goliath tarantula
An arthropod with huge limbs, a large abdomen, and powerful jaws calmly hunts mice, frogs, toads, and snakes. Most large spider in the world discovered in 1965 in Venezuela. The leg span was 28 cm, the body size was 9 cm. The average dimensions of the theraphosis were 8 cm, the limb span was 25 cm. In 2001, a huge creature was described with a leg span of 35 cm, but the body was less than 9 cm.
Lives in Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname. The body is dark brown. A photo of the largest spider in the world is presented below. The animal has not become widespread, since it is prohibited to export it from its habitat; it practically does not reproduce in captivity.
Heteropoda maxima
The largest spider received this title due to its long limbs with a span of about 30 cm. The body length is 4.5 cm, which is inferior to the previous representative of arachnids. Lives in Laos. Large body brownish-yellow, limbs with dark spots. One of the representatives is in the Paris Museum National Museum natural history.
Interesting!
Females and males are the same color, slightly different in size. They live in caves and feed on insects. They pose no danger to humans. Exotic lovers often keep them as pets. Due to the excessive interest of collectors, the huge spider is gradually disappearing from nature.
Baboon spider
Lives in tropical and subtropical countries. A large, shaggy creature with long brown hair grows to impressive dimensions. The leg span reaches 30.5 cm. This is one of the friendliest creatures on earth. The family lives together for six months and willingly shares food. Often relatives live next door and dig tunnels together. They hunt insects, small spiders, and beetles. The poison is toxic, but not dangerous to people. Often exotic animals are kept by collectors in terrariums.
Purple tarantula
The shaggy large spider lives in tropical countries, some species are found in Europe. The leg span is 25 cm. They are nocturnal. They do not weave webs, they wait for prey in secluded places. They know how to dig deep, long tunnels underground. While running, they develop impressive speed.
Large tarantulas have a unique color with a purple tint, thick, long hairs covering the entire body, legs, and powerful jaws. Often kept as pet. The main diet consists of insects, small spiders, beetles, as well as amphibians and birds.
Interesting!
A well-fed female does not leave her shelter for months. does not pose a mortal danger to humans, causes discomfort, painful sensations.
Jaeger or crab spider
Giant spiders live in nature. They have a bright red-orange color. The span of the limbs reaches 31 cm. At the ends of the legs there are discrepancies reminiscent of crab claws, hence the name. The terrible one is not dangerous to humans, it hunts insects. In the process of chasing the victim, it develops great speed and can jump well.
goldweaver
The rarest large spider. Lives on the island of Madagascar, South Africa. Known for its enormous size. The diameter often reaches 1.5 m. Local residents use cobwebs to make shiny, golden napkins, scarves, and fishing balls. The leg span of the golden weaver is 12 cm, body size is 4 cm.
A rare species of large spider was officially introduced to humanity in 2000. Males are 2 times smaller than females and die immediately after mating. The poison is toxic, but not dangerous for people. Redness and swelling appear at the bite sites, and allergy sufferers have difficulty breathing.
Interesting!
In the American museum there is a large canvas measuring 3 square meters. m from the web of the golden weaver. It took 4 years, dozens of workers, and the spiders themselves to make it. The threads were taken away and the animals were released.
banana spider
The largest web-weaving spider in history. Its nets are so strong that birds get entangled in them and fishermen use them to catch fish. The body size does not exceed 4 cm, the leg span reaches 12 cm. The color is bright - yellow with black stripes. Spiders live in banana trees in Australia. They lay many larvae, thereby causing irreparable harm to the crop.
Interesting!
In 2010 it was recognized. The poison is extremely toxic, but with timely medical care, death can be avoided.
South Russian tarantula
The giant spider belongs to the family. Hunts insects, beetles, caterpillars. Their homeland is Asia, they live everywhere, and are found in Ukraine. The body is gray-black, covered with dense hairs. Size about 3.5 cm. Lives in burrows underground and tree hollows. Rarely appears outside, attacks from its secluded place. The web is weaved at the entrance to the burrow, and also to form a cocoon for the larvae.
People are bitten when there is a threat to them own life. Swelling, pain, and redness appear at the site of the attack. Children and people with weakened immune systems experience weakness, headache, nausea, dizziness., about 30 live in the countries of the former CIS. Distinctive feature in appearance is the presence of a light cross on the belly in the upper part. The size of a large spider reaches 2.5 cm.
Lives in wildlife, shaded areas. It is found in the forest, at the edge of the forest, as well as in abandoned houses, barns, and on garden trees. The venom of a large spider is not dangerous to human life, but it causes some discomfort and deterioration in well-being. Swelling, redness, then suppuration and pain appear at the site of the bite. Children and people with weakened immune systems experience weakness, headache, chills, and other symptoms of intoxication.
Tegenaria wall
A large brown spider with long legs. The leg span is 15 cm. Lives in caves, on the walls of old houses, abandoned buildings. Lives in Europe, Africa, Argentina, Asia. This species is found everywhere. A peace-loving creature bites a person when its own life is threatened. In most cases, he tries to hide quickly. It develops quite impressive speed when running over a short distance.
Spiders today are among those insects that can simultaneously be called very small and the largest. There are no analogues to such amazing creatures in nature - this is especially true for their method of hunting, namely, weaving webs. Species of spiders today are very numerous - there are about forty thousand of them, of which about three thousand live in Russia. Indeed, among the majority today it is customary to call these creatures insects, however, in fact, they form a completely separate order and class - arachnids, and belong to the type of arthropods.
Specifically, spiders can be separated from insects by different signs. For example, they do not have six legs, like the first ones, but eight, and also have forelimbs equipped with poisonous claws, which are called “chelicerae”. It is with the help of them that they immobilize and kill the victim caught in their skillfully woven network. In our country, there are no deadly spiders for people; the maximum that can be obtained in response to such an encounter is a bite, burning and pain. In addition, the spider never attacks large objects first.
Arachnids weave their webs with the help of arachnoid warts, which are located on their abdomens - there are three pairs of them. Spider digestion is interesting - it is called extraintestinal. Let's say, for comparison: a predatory mantis, having caught a fly, chews it and swallows it. The spider acts differently: it injects poison and digestive enzymes, and after two hours the caught victim turns into a ready-made “soup” that the hunter can simply drink. And one more interesting fact: The web of these creatures is surprisingly strong. If the web is made as thick as a pencil, then a real plane can crash into it and not damage it.
The world's largest spider
Most of us have actually encountered very small spiders that pose virtually no danger to humans, despite the fact that in many they still evoke a persistent feeling of disgust and even fear. lives not with us, in tropical forests Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Single specimens of these giants were found in Brazil and Venezuela. This creature is called Theraphose Blond(in Latin - Theraphosa blondi) or simply tarantula Goliath. The body length of these small monsters reaches nine centimeters, and the limb span is 26-28 centimeters. In other words, such a spider can be the size of a dinner plate.
Belonging to the Goliath family of tarantulas, it was caught in 1965 near a village in Venezuela - its paws reached a length of 28 centimeters. For this he was included in the Guinness Book of Records. The discovery was made during an expedition led by Pablo San Martin. As for tarantulas bred in captivity, such an individual belongs to Brian Barnett: today it is over two years old, weighs 170 grams and also has a leg span of 28 centimeters. In general, Teraphosis Blond is very rare in the collections of private spider breeders. The fact is that for reproduction and proper maintenance of individuals, special conditions, as close as possible to natural ones, including seasonal weather changes. Therefore, Goliaths breed very rarely in captivity. In addition, it is prohibited to export it from many countries where this species lives.
The biggest spider Theraphosa has a dark brown body and paws - all covered with small hairs. The spider prefers to live in deep burrows, which it makes itself, and lines the entrance with its own web. Tarantulas do not feed on birds at all, as some mistakenly believe, but on frogs, mice, toads, lizards and sometimes even small snakes. Goliath does not hunt with the help of a web, but builds ambushes, quickly jumping on the victim and injecting poison. The tarantula's reaction is lightning fast - from its slow movement it is quite difficult to guess this in advance if you have not seen the spider in the hunt before.
Blonde's serious competition is biggest spiders from the family Sparassidae. One such spider was accidentally found in the basement of one of the major Parisian museums - this was done by a German biologist named Peter Jaeger. He examined the museum's collection and discovered a giant spider in a jar of formaldehyde - it stood among numerous other exhibits. This creature, according to records, was captured in 1939 in Laos and then stored for many years in the museum's storerooms. The paw span of the found specimen was thirty centimeters. Despite this, Goliath still remains the official record holder for leg length today.
As for the arachnid found in the museum jar, this is, of course, not the only specimen. These creatures are called in science Heteropoda maxima and quite realistically live in Laos, preferring to hide in deep and dark caves. Such spiders very rarely come to the surface, their legs are 25-30 centimeters long (longer than those of Goliaths), and their abdomen is only 3-4.5 centimeters, i.e., on the contrary, less than that of the “book” record holder. Of course, these parameters were recorded based on the caught individuals - it is difficult to guess what they actually are, because lead a very secretive life. It is quite possible that there are larger options. The species of heteropods has been studied very little by scientists - again, due to the extreme secrecy of these creatures. The color of these spiders is also brown, the legs are covered with black stripes, and there are dark spots on the abdomen. The eyes are unreduced - most likely due to the fact that these arachnids constantly live in pitch darkness.
By the way, most spiders have as many as eight eyes, less often - six, and very rarely two. Spider eyes are much simpler than those of insects, but in this case nature found its way out - this is quantity. The front, medial pair of eyes in a spider is called the main one and is structured differently from the rest, the side ones. The main eyes of the spider lack an inner membrane that refracts light, but there are special muscle bundles that move the retina. The side eyes have the opposite - there is a mirror, but no muscles. Running spiders hunt using their vision, so their vision is much better developed than that of web-weaving spiders - the latter rely more on their tactile senses.
Returning to the topic of large arachnids, it is worth mentioning a species with a funny name banana spider. This creature is the largest of all those currently weaving webs. The size of the banana spider's body is four centimeters, and the span of its legs is 12 centimeters. Interestingly, even small birds sometimes get caught in the net of this predator, and local fishermen use it to catch fish (!). Of course, this is not done in the literal sense: first, many spider webs are collected, then a large ball is formed from them and thrown into the water.
The banana spider, which got its name from yellow and the elongated shape of its abdomen, lives in America. In general, this name means two completely different species - these are Phoneutria(South and Central America) and Nephila Clavipes(North America), however, they look a bit similar in appearance. Sometimes these spiders are also called Brazilian travelers, because they are very active and quick in action. The banana spider is one of the ten most dangerous spiders on the planet because of its strong poison, which can cause a person very painful sensations, is definitely needed health care. There are cases of attack Brazilian spiders on children, which ended in the death of the latter.
The Panama wandering spider, on the contrary, does not weave webs and moves freely, never stopping anywhere for long. These individuals are often found in homes - food boxes and belongings. This species hunts in two ways - running or jumping. By the way, this arachnid also got its name because it loves fruits, in particular bananas. Its main diet consists of birds, lizards, insects and other spiders, which can even exceed it in size.
The largest spiders are found here, as well as in Ukraine and Central Asia- This South Russian tarantulas. This species belongs to the family known as wolf spiders. The body size of such a spider is about 3.5-4 centimeters, all of it is densely covered with gray hairs.
Tarantulas live mainly in burrows up to half a meter deep. These arachnids feed on large beetles, but can bite humans if disturbed. The bite will be quite painful, but not fatal.
Today, about forty-two thousand species of spiders live in the world. The length of the smallest one is known to science- Patu marplesi - is less than 0.4 millimeters, that is, it is impossible to see it with the naked eye. On average, the size of these animals usually varies from four to six centimeters. However, in nature there are also giant spiders, each species of which is interesting in its own way.
Teraphosa Blonda - the largest spider on Earth
Most arachnologists involved in the study of spiders and arachnids agree that the largest body size of all today existing species These animals have the goliath tarantula, also known as Blonde's Theraphosa. The body color of this spider is usually reddish-brown; there are numerous reddish hairs on the legs.
The most giant spider in the world lives in wet swamps and tropical forests in a number of countries in South America: Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Brazil. The length of its body is 7-9 centimeters, and the leg span of the largest discovered specimen reached 28 centimeters.
This spider is mistakenly called a tarantula. Its diet actually consists of mice, small snakes, lizards, butterflies and beetles. He lies in wait for his prey, then suddenly jumps on it, using his fangs.
The venom of this spider, which paralyzes small animals, is actually of little danger to humans, like the sting of an ordinary bee. As a rule, he does not attack people, except in those cases when he himself is forced to defend himself from them.
IN natural environment The goliath tarantula lives in burrows that previously belonged to small rodents. In captivity, it is rarely found, since its export from the territory of its habitat countries is, as a rule, prohibited.
Heteropoda Maxima - the longest-legged spider
The Goliath tarantula can rightfully be called the largest spider in the world, based on the size of its body and weight. However, it will compete with the giant hunting spider, or Heteropoda Maxima - the owner of the longest leg span. This figure for an adult male of this species can be 25-30 centimeters!
These spiders live mainly in Laos, preferring deep and dark caves, from where they rarely come to the surface of the earth. Their bodies, relatively small in size (up to 3 centimeters in males and 4.5 in females), are colored brown-yellow, the abdomen is somewhat darker than the cephalothorax.
Today, science knows very little about them, but they continue to be studied.
Australian record holder - giant crab spider
The honor of being called the largest arachnid on the Australian continent belongs to the giant crab spider. Its name is associated with the specific bending of the legs, characteristic of crabs (in some specimens their span sometimes reaches 30 centimeters). In another way, these spiders are called hunters, or huntsmen.
As a rule, the color of these creatures is black, brown or gray. The body is fluffy, and the spines are clearly visible on the legs. They live under the roots and on tree trunks, as well as in mountain crevices, between stones, and on the walls of houses. They feed mainly on insects, small lizards and frogs. These giant spiders are capable of chasing their prey along the ground at high speed before sinking their fangs into it and immobilizing it with venom.
Their toxin is moderately dangerous to humans. As a rule, painful swelling occurs at the site of the bite, sometimes accompanied by nausea and headache, but the poison does not pose a threat to human life.
Nephila - the world's most gigantic web-spinning spiders
Translated from Latin, the word Nefila means “one who loves to weave.” This name is given to the oldest species of spider known today. The size of their body is not amazing - it does not exceed 4 centimeters. But the leg span of the largest individuals reaches 15 centimeters, which makes Nephil the largest of the spiders capable of weaving a web.
The distribution area of various species of these spiders is huge. They are found in Australia, South America, Asia and Africa.
The networks that these skilled craftsmen “weave” have truly incredible properties. Exceptionally durable and sticky lace with a characteristic golden tint can cover areas of up to two meters. Their strength is so great that they are able to capture and hold even a bat, a small snake or a bird.
The rather strong venom of Nephila spiders is dangerous for people, especially those prone to allergies, but it does not lead to death. Characteristic symptoms - redness of the skin, blisters and pain - usually disappear within a day from the moment of the bite.
The Brazilian wanderer is one of the most poisonous spiders
The characteristic features of the Brazilian wandering spider are aggressive behavior and extremely toxic venom. Its bite can cause severe poisoning and paralysis, and in the absence of the necessary help will lead to the death of a person. This is why the Brazilian wanderers have gained a bad reputation as giant killer spiders. However, with timely provision of the necessary assistance, serious consequences can still be avoided.
These giant spiders (see photo below) sometimes reach 10 centimeters in length. Their body is elongated, brown, completely covered with small hairs.
Brazilian wanderers do not weave webs and do not have a permanent habitat - they are always in search of their prey. They are found in the tropics and subtropics of South America. They are also called “armed” (due to strong venom and powerful mouth appendages) or “ banana spiders"(since very often you can stumble upon them between the leaves of banana palms). They hunt at night, mainly on insects. However, they can also cope with some reptiles and birds that are larger than them.
Cerbalus Arabian - a newly discovered giant spider
These giant spiders became known to scientists relatively recently. Some sources indicate that they were opened in 2004, others that this happened in 2010. The countries in whose territory cerbals were discovered were Jordan and Israel, which determined the peculiarity of the name of this species - “Arabian”.
The appearance of spiders of this species is very interesting: their body is painted in a beautiful yellowish or silver color, and their long legs shimmer in the light with silver and black shades. The longest large specimens Arabian cerbals sometimes reach 8 inches.
Currently, this species of spider has been poorly studied. It is known that cerbals prefer to live on the edges of salt marshes and sand dunes. They are characterized by a nocturnal lifestyle, and their activity is associated mainly with the hot season.
Tegenaria wall - record holder in sprinting
Another name for wall tegenaria is the giant house spider. The length of her body is about seven centimeters, and her leg span is approximately three times this value. It is not surprising that among arachnids, tegenaria are considered exceptionally fast runners over short distances.
The distribution range of this type of spider is Asia, northern Africa. They are also found in some places in Europe (for example, in England, tegenaria is often called the “cardinal spider,” allegedly because the British Cardinal Wolsey was once horrified by it).
An interesting fact is that although these giant spiders produce webs, they are completely incapable of deftly swaddling prey into a cocoon. Instead, they simply release it in a very thick and even layer. It is curious that in competition for prey, tegenaria enters into battle with its fellows, often even killing them. Cannibalism is also common among these spiders.
Tegenaria's favorite habitats are caves and walls of abandoned houses. Today there are very few of these spiders left in nature.
South Russian tarantula - the largest spider in Russia
Mizgir, or South Russian tarantula, is a characteristic representative of the wolf spider family. The body size of the female of this spider reaches three centimeters (the male's body is slightly shorter). The span of its legs, however, is considerable - 10-11 centimeters. It is widespread not only in Russia, but also in Central Asia.
Mizgir is characterized by shallow burrows in the sand or in the ground, which this spider digs itself and lines the inside with cobwebs. He spends daylight hours in them, but at night he can go out to hunt on the surface. Excellently sensing vibrations, the mizgir senses when a small insect approaches its shelter. Having brought its prey close, the spider instantly rushes at it and kills it. In winter, he deepens the hole and fills the entrance with earth.
This tarantula practically does not bite people. If a bite occurs, the pain and consequences are comparable to a hornet sting.
The Japanese spider crab is the largest arthropod on the planet
In fact, nothing connects sea spiders with arachnids. This is a special class of arthropods, numbering more than a thousand species. And the largest of them is considered to be a giant sea spider that lives off the coast. Pacific Ocean near Japan, at various depths. The body size of the largest representatives of this species exceeds 30 centimeters, and the span of their claws is truly enormous - it can reach 270 centimeters in length! The body weight of this arthropod can be twenty kilograms.
The spider crab feeds mainly on mollusks, as well as the remains of dead animals. There is an assumption that he can live for about a hundred years.
Spiders can without a doubt be considered one of the most unusual and interesting representatives of the animal world. Many of them are brightly colored and differ significantly from other inhabitants of our planet. Arthropods amaze not only with their appearance, but also with their way of life, nutrition, and reproduction.
Large spiders are predators, eating insects, rodents, frogs, lizards, small snakes, birds and other small animals. As a rule, they do not use webs for hunting, tracking down and overtaking their victims, hiding in an inconspicuous place. Once next to the insect, the spider pierces its skin with sharp chelicerae located in the area of the mouth opening, releasing poison and digestive juice into its body. Then, after waiting for some time, it sucks liquid nutrients from the animal.
For their homes, spiders choose secluded corners formed by fallen tree branches and bark; some species live in burrows dug in the ground or in trees. Characteristic feature These animals undergo periodic molting, during which they pull off their now cramped shell, which is replaced by a new, more spacious shell - the exoskeleton.
Reproduction of spiders occurs with the obligatory preliminary demonstration of the male’s readiness to mate and the female’s response signals. After the process is over, the male has to quickly retreat so as not to become a tasty morsel for his partner.
We present to your attention the top largest spiders in the world - these living creatures often strike fear into impressionable people, but is it really worth fearing them?
5th place
The purple tarantula is a spider from the Tarantula family. Reaches 25 cm in length. The life expectancy of females is 15 years, males - from 2 to 3 years. These large spiders catch prey by hiding in a secluded place. Tarantulas do not use webs for this purpose. 
Appearance:
- the body of the spider consists of a cephalothorax, an abdomen densely covered with hairs, and long pubescent legs;
- the colors of the female are dominated by dark blue, purple and black shades;
- The color of males is yellow-green.
IN natural conditions found in tropical forests of South America, Asia, and deserts of Africa. It feeds mainly on crickets, cockroaches, flies, small rodents, and sometimes eats frogs, fish, and small birds. For humans, a tarantula bite is not fatal, but can cause an allergic reaction.
4th place
The camel spider is also called the sun spider or phalanx spider. This huge spider grows up to 30 cm, and its body length is only 5–7 cm. It is yellow-brown in color, the body is divided into segments, and there are tentacles on the cephalothorax that act as limbs. This arthropod distinguishes light and moving objects well due to the presence of 4 compound eyes. The speed of movement of the phalanx is quite high - 16 km/h. 
Camel spider feeding various types insects, lizards, rodents. Sharp chelicerae (claw-shaped mouth appendages) have high cutting abilities and are able to cut skin, thin bones, cut hairline from the victim. The sites of camel spider bites may become inflamed due to the introduction of an infection located on the chelicerae into the wound. It lives in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America.
3rd place
Goliath tarantula, its second name is Blonde's Theraphosis. This is a huge spider: the body length of the goliath is about 10 cm, with limbs up to 30 cm. The abdomen, body and limbs of the arthropod are dark brown, covered with many hairs. The average lifespan of a male is 4.5 years, females live 5 times longer. It feeds mainly on frogs, small snakes, rodents, and lizards. When attacking a victim, it paralyzes it with poison contained in the fangs on its head. 
The toxic component of goliath venom is not dangerous for humans; its effect feels similar to a bee sting. In order to protect itself from enemies, the spider also uses abdominal hairs, which cause irritation of the mucous membranes. Habitat of Theraphosa Blonda – South America. You can get an idea of the appearance of this and other largest arthropods by looking at pictures of the largest spiders in the world.
2nd place
Brazilian salmon-pink tarantula. It reaches a size of 30 cm, body length is about 10 cm. Females are much larger than males in size and body weight. This species of tarantula lives in Brazil. 
External features:
- The upper part of the spider's cephalothorax is covered with a shield with a pattern in the form of a 10-pointed black star on a salmon background.
- The first segments of the limbs adjacent to the body are colored pink color, the rest are dark gray.
- The abdomen and legs are densely pubescent.
The special decorative properties of large arthropods determine the interest of hobbyists in keeping them at home. When purchasing, it is necessary to create optimal living conditions for the pet. In the absence of such experience, you should take a closer look at the character of the animal: some spiders may experience increased anxiety and aggressiveness when kept in captivity.
1st place
Giant crab spider. The second name of this species is the hunter spider. Taking into account the length of the limbs, its size reaches 30 cm or more. This giant spider is a bit like a crab in the structure of its legs and the ability to move both forward and laterally. The body and limbs are usually gray or brown in color, often its color is spotted - contains black, white or red spots. 
The photo shows what the largest spider in the world looks like. The hunter's food consists of insects and small invertebrates. Pursuing his prey, he overtakes her fast jumps and injects poison, which includes a substance - a neurotoxin that affects nerve cells. The neurotoxin can cause pain and swelling, but does not lead to serious health consequences.
It can bite a person only for the purpose of self-defense. The habitat of the giant crab spider is Japan and Australia.