What is the biggest spider in Australia? Australia's biggest spiders belong to the same family as the Goliath Spider. They are the whistling spiders. The northern species Selenocosmia crassipes can grow to 6 cm in body length with a leg span of 16 cm.
The largest spider in the world is Theraphosa blondi, commonly known as the Goliath birdeater, according to National Geographic. This tarantula can reach up to 11 inches in length and weigh 6 ounces; this size is big enough to cover a dinner plate, says Guinness World Records.
Males wear a combination of yellow and white markings and a few of either sex have nothing at all! Distribution: Australia wide. Size: Male spiders usually grow to around 5mm long, while females can measure in at 15mm long.
Selenocosmia crassipes can attain legspans of up to 22 cm (8.7 in). Its body length, from eyes to the rear of its abdomen, measures between 6 and 9 cm (2.4 and 3.5 in), making it the largest Australian tarantula.
Sydney Funnel Web Spider
Found nearly exclusively in Sydney, this spider is often considered the most deadly in the world. With fangs that can pierce through fingernails, and one specimen reaching 10cm stretched out, this spider is serious business. A single bite can kill a human in 15 minutes.
The funnel web spider is widely regarded as the most dangerous arachnid. This Australian spider has a venom that is packed with 40 different toxic proteins.
Sydney funnel-web spider. According to the Guinness World Records, the Sydney funnel-web spider, Atrax robustus, is the most dangerous spider to humans in the world.
QLD BIRD EATING SPIDER (Selenocosmia crassipes)
The largest species may attain a body length of 60mm and a leg span of 160mm, with powerful fangs 10mm long. This is the largest species of spider in Australia, and is part of the tarantula family, which comprises of the largest spiders in the world.
The Goliath birdeater is the king of spiders. Weighing up to six ounces and with a leg span of nearly a foot, this tarantula is the largest arachnid on the planet. Goliaths don't usually eat birds, but they are big enough to be able to—and occasionally they do.
In Australia they are only found in the southeastern part of the country, from South Australia to Queensland via Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. You won't find them in the dry and arid zones. On the other hand, huntsman and wolf-spiders are found all over the country.
Animals which feed directly on spiders include birds, reptiles, mammals and many arthropods, including other spiders, centipedes, scorpions and even some insects.
The male can reach up to 20mm long and the female up to 35mm. Wolf spiders are not generally regarded as dangerous.
Huntsman Spiders are found living under loose bark on trees, in crevices on rock walls and in logs, under rocks and slabs of bark on the ground, and on foliage.
Huntsman spider size (and what do they look like?)
The biggest species of huntsman is the giant huntsman found in Laos, with a leg span of 30 cm. However, the largest huntsman most people will come across in Australia is the grey huntsman (Holconia immanis) with a leg span of up to 23 cm.
Giant Huntsman – Heteropoda maxima (Laos)
This type of spider was discovered in Laos in 2001, hiding in a cave. Measuring by leg span, it's the biggest in the world—the creepy crawlers can reach up to a foot wide.
The largest-ever documented giant huntsman spider had a leg span of 30 cm (12 in) leg span and 4.6 cm (1.8 in) body length.
Hyllus giganteus, commonly referred to as the giant jumping spider, is a jumping spider native from Sumatra to Australia. It is best known for being the largest jumping spider species known to science, ranging from 1.8–2.5 centimetres (0.71–0.98 in) in length.
The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is the biggest tarantula in the world. The body measures up to 4.75 inches (12 centimeters) with a leg span of up to 11 inches (28 centimeters).
Their fangs are large and powerful, capable of penetrating fingernails and soft shoes. Australian funnel-web spiders make their burrows in moist, cool, sheltered habitats – under rocks, in and under rotting logs, and some in rough-barked trees (occasionally meters above ground).
The Australian funnel-web spiders (families Hexathelidae, Atracidae, Macrothelidae and Porrhothelidae), such as the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus (a mygalomorph spider not to be confused with the araneomorph funnel-weaver or grass spiders) are regarded as among the most venomous in the world.
Introduction. Wolf Spiders are found throughout Australia. They are robust, agile hunters that live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows.
Description: There are currently seven tarantula species described in Australia from four genera, Selenocosmia, Selenotholus, Selenotypus, and Phlogiellus, with six species occurring in Queensland.
The funnel web “classically speaking” is considered the world's deadliest spider because it “kills so quickly”. “In terms of speed of death, in Australia we say funnel web, 15 minutes, no sweat,” Raven said. “With a funnel web bite to the torso, you're dead. No other spider can claim that reputation.”
After being bitten by a black widow spider, you may have painful swelling around the bite. You may also notice cramps, muscle spasms, and achiness, and you may be sick to your stomach. These symptoms may get worse for up to about 12 hours after you were bitten. Then they should start to go away.
The notorious Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus sp) of the United States is a close relative of the Redback Spider, and only differs in appearance by the absence of a red dorsal stripe. Other species of Latrodectus occur in Africa, New Zealand (the Katipo), the Pacific Islands, Europe and North and South America.