Ask The Science Experts

The largest spider in the world is a tarantula called the Goliath Birdeater. An adult can weigh over four ounces (about the size of a large mouse) and has a leg span of up to 12 inches. The spider was given its unique name by Victorian explorers who witnessed one eating a hummingbird although birds are not typically part of its diet. They survive mostly on small insects and meal worms but will occasionally eat small rodents such as mice, shrews and moles.

Wild goliath birdeaters are a deep burrowing species, found commonly in marshy or swampy areas. Goliath birdeaters usually live in burrows in the ground that they have either dug themselves or have been previously abandoned by rodents or other similar creatures.

The goliath birdeater is fairly harmless to humans, as are most species of tarantulas. Like all tarantulas, it has fangs large enough to break the skin of a human and they do carry venom in their fangs and have been known to bite humans when threatened, but the venom is relatively harmless and its effects are comparable to those of a wasp’s sting. Tarantulas generally bite humans only in self-defense, and these bites do not always result in envenomation. The goliath birdeater has poor eyesight and mainly relies on vibrations in the ground that they can sense from their burrows.

Source: Wikipedia. Posted by the science guy for best selling science toys at Atomic Elephant Toy.

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