20 Largest Spiders in the World, Ranked
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Spiders are great. They keep mosquitos at bay. They're an important part of the food chain. We love them, as long as they stay far, far away from us. The second we walk into a web, all bets are off. We will punch ourselves in the face without a second thought, and that's with an average-sized spider.
If one of the biggest spiders in the world decided to camp out on our leg, we might just have to amputate it (#noregrets). But these giant spiders make us appreciate two things: the fact that we don't live in Australia and that the daddy longlegs in the corner could be much, much worse.
So, which spiders are the absolute largest across the globe? We ranked 20 spiders that have the biggest leg spans, from smallest to largest.
20. Mexican Redknee Tarantula
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Maximum leg span: 3 inches
A smaller tarantula, the Mexican redknee is named after its signature reddish brown spots on each of its eight knees. Interestingly, females live about six times as long as males. Males usually die by the age of 5 or 6, while females can live up to 30.
Mexican redknees are a part of the New World category of tarantula, which have large fangs that can cause a painful bite, but biting is a last resort for these creepy crawlers. Instead, they kick urticating hairs from their back legs and abdomens at potential threats. They cause itching and discomfort but no serious side effects.
19. Daddy Longlegs
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Maximum leg span: 3.5 inches
The humble daddy longlegs spider isn't that scary to look at compared to some of the seriously huge spiders out there. They're all leg, and their limbs are so slender that daddy longlegs spiders don't appear as large as they really are. They have tiny, fragile bodies, but their legs are often 2 inches long or more.
In Laos, a rare, 13-inch long daddy longlegs spider was unearthed in a cave during a TV shoot, but giants of this proportion are virtually unheard of.
17. Desert Blond Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 4 inches
The desert blond tarantula is another relatively small tarantula. It's much friendlier than the Mexican redknee — if friendly is a word you can apply to something with three additional pairs of eyes. Females and males look very different. Females are typically a solid tan color, while males have black legs and a ruddy red abdomen.
They have very mild venom, and they're pretty docile as pets. If you live in the Southwest, you might run into one in the wild. They're especially common in Arizona, but they spend most of the time about a foot underground in a silk-lined burrow.
17. Golden Silk Orb Weaver (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 4 inches
The golden silk orb weaver can actually be larger than 4 inches, but most are much smaller. Males are always much smaller than females, but the largest, full-grown females can be as much as 6 inches from toe to toe. The males also rely on the females.
The females are in charge of making dramatic, massive webs made of seven different types of silk. Then, a small male camps out in the web of one female and stands guard so other males don't mate with her. Two golden orb weavers actually went to space to see how their web-building changed. One managed to survive the 65-day journey and returned to Earth unscathed.
14. Mexican Blood Leg Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 5 inches
Now our spidey senses are really tingling. The first spider on our list that's over 5 inches, the Mexican blood leg is popular in the pet trade for its bright coloration, handleability and longevity. They grow very slowly, and females can live for 40 years or more.
Pet spiders over 2 inches need a small water dish. Adult tarantulas usually eat crickets, mealworms or roaches once every two or three weeks. They're not as snuggly as a hamster, but they're also much lower maintenance.
14. California Ebony Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 5 inches
The California ebony tarantula is native to — surprise, surprise — California and other southwestern states. It primarily dwells in holes in the ground, and since it's nocturnal, you're unlikely to run into one while out on a hike. Phew.
They don't reach adulthood until the age of about 8 to 12 years and can live 25 years in total. Since they're docile and harmless to people, California ebony tarantulas have become popular pets.
14. Giant Crab Spider (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 5 inches
Giant crab spiders are among the largest in Arizona. The fact that a 5-inch leg span almost seems small compared to the biggest spider species should terrify you. Giant crab spiders are usually smaller than that, but their sideways, crab-like run is enough to send most of us sprinting far, far away from Arizona.
They particularly like to live under rocks and in houses. They look similar to wolf spiders, but they prefer to hang out on ceilings and other ominous perches. Delightful.
13. Cerbalus Aravaensis
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Maximum leg span: 5.5 inches
The Cerbalus aravaensis spider, a type of huntsman spider, is the largest spider in the entire Middle East. They're big enough to eat geckos and other small lizards, and their lifestyle is surprisingly sophisticated. This spider builds dens in the sand dunes near the edges of salt marshes.
Each den has a hinged, trap-door structure to disguise the spider's lair from prey and predators alike. Their natural habitats are currently at risk, and while we know that's bad, we're struggling to feel too bad about it.
11. Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 6 inches
Costa Rican zebra tarantulas are far from the largest type of tarantula, but they're still plenty creepy enough to send an arachnophobe (or anyone other than a member of the Addams Family) running for the hills. It's larger than the average iPhone, and females can live for up to two decades.
They can be kept as pets, but most people favor other types of tarantulas since this variety is so shy. Most of the time, Costa Rican zebras are out of sight, hiding deep in the network of burrows they dig. They're tough to handle since they're skittish, but they're unlikely to behave aggressively.
11. Camel Spider (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 6 inches
No. Simply, no. The camel spider, also known as the sun spider, isn't dangerous to people, per se. It doesn't have venom and can't cause serious injury, but a bite from one isn't pleasant. The emotional suffering from finding one of these climbing up your sleeve is arguably much worse.
Camel spiders have up to 200 babies at a time, and we don't want to be around when they hatch. All 200 will grow up to eat small birds, rodents and lizards. Even if they can't kill us, anything that can take out our kid's pet gerbil is enough to send us running for the hills.
9. Brazilian Wandering Spider (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 7 inches
Now, we're getting to the seriously massive spiders. Brazilian wandering spiders have a scientific name of Phoneutria nigriventer. Guess what "phoneutria" means in Greek? Murderess.
This is the first spider we've mentioned that poses a serious threat to people. The rest are just creepy, but Brazilian wandering spiders have one of the most venomous bites on Earth. Its venom contains a neurotoxin that can be lethal, especially to children. Fortunately, fatalities are rare thanks to widely available antivenom.
9. Colombian Giant Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 7 inches
Colombian giant tarantulas are larger than Brazilian wandering spiders, but they're much less threatening. They aren't dangerous, and their threat response is interesting to watch. Instead of a typical tarantula threat posture, it bobs up and down and begins twirling in a circle, known as the cartwheel of death. Luckily, it's only deadly if you're a bug.
Many spider keepers consider these large spiders to be a beautiful addition to their collection.
7. Chaco Golden Knee Spider (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 8 inches
The Chaco golden is endemic to Paraguay, and its unique, painted look makes them a treasure in the spider-keeping world. They have a golden band around each knee, and their impressive size and "friendly" temperament make them easy to handle.
Females can live up to 25 years, and despite their massive size, their preferred dinner is pretty tame. Chaco golden knee spiders eat crickets or mealworms in captivity, and even in the wild, they aren't known for eating anything bigger than a cockroach.
7. Brazilian Black Tarantula (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 8 inches
The Brazilian black tarantula is super cool, in our opinion. It's jet black from fang to foot, and its body is covered in fine hairs giving it a velvety appearance. These hairs double as "ears." These spiders can't actually hear, but their hairs can detect vibrations in the air to pinpoint the location of prey.
If lunch doesn't come around for a while, it's no big deal. Brazilian black tarantulas take forever to get hangry. In a pinch, they can go for months without food. When they do eat, they'll take on any prey they can find, including mice and small reptiles.
6. Hercules Baboon Spider
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Maximum leg span: 8.5 inches
The Hercules baboon isn't a baboon at all, but we honestly wish it were. The Hercules baboon spider is indigenous to Africa, specifically Nigeria. It's rare, but it's huge, with a solid brown or black body and a giant leg span.
They prefer to dwell in forests, and their venom is harmless. The name comes from how similar their fluffy legs look to the fingers of a baboon.
5. Face-Sized Tarantula
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Maximum leg span: 9 inches
Yes, that's its real name. The face-sized tarantula is bigger than most human faces, and we are not putting one on ours to test it out.
These creepy crawlies are actually peaceful, dwelling in old-growth trees in Sri Lanka. They're seldom spotted, but if you notice a large spider with a pink band on its belly, you might have found yourself a face-sized tarantula.
3. Grammostola Anthracina (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 11 inches
Australia has the biggest reputation for having giant spiders, but South America gives the continent a run for its money. Grammostola anthracina, a spider species found in Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina has a solid brown body that's among the largest of any spider in the world.
Like most tarantulas, they aren't dangerous to humans, although the hairs on their upper abdomen can cause minor skin irritation.
3. Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater (Tie)
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Maximum leg span: 11 inches
This spider isn't really salmon pink, but the hairs along its eight, giant legs are a sort of peachy pink if you look closely. They flick these hairs at predators to irritate their eyes and hopefully dissuade them from coming closer (done!). They do have venom that results in a painful bite but not a dangerous one to people.
The bite of a female Brazilian salmon pink birdeater can be dangerous to males, however. After mating, the females sometimes consider their male partners a tasty snack if they don't run away fast enough.
2. Giant Huntsman Spider
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Maximum leg span: 11.8 inches
The giant huntsman spider and the Goliath birdeater are close in terms of size. They often overlap in leg span, and the giant huntsman often tops 11 inches from toe to toe. The spider's actual body is almost 2 inches alone, and they're known for cannibalistic behavior. Lovely.
They crawl along the walls of caves in Laos like spooky land crabs. While we had "exploring caves" on our bucket list, we're OK taking it off for now.
1. Goliath Birdeater
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Maximum leg span: 12 inches
Welcome to the king of the spider kingdom, which we will never willingly visit. Goliath birdeaters can weigh up to 6 ounces, which is a lot for a creature with no actual bones. It's the biggest spider ever recorded, routinely reaching a foot across.
Contrary to their name, birds aren't a normal part of their diet — but they are big enough to eat one if their preferred foods of frogs and small rodents are in short supply. People do keep them as pets, but they're typically aggressive and unpleasant to handle.
For more wildlife facts, keep exploring on Always Pets: