The Goliath Bird Eating Spider

The Goliath Bird Eating Spider or Goliath Tarantuala is said to be the world's biggest spider, but unlike its name suggests, it rarely dines on birds. It is said to have been given its name by explorers from back in the Victorian Era when it was witnessed eating a hummingbird. Although this is not completely abnormal (the common rule of thumb suggest they will eat anything they can catch that is smaller than themselves), they usually opt for eating frogs, small rodents, small reptiles such as lizards and most insects. They are nocturnal creatures so they will hunt for food at night. They are native to the rain forests of northern South America and prefer to live in marshy, swampy areas. They are burrowers and live mostly underground in holes they have found or dug themselves. This in addition to their dark brown hairy bodies makes it difficult for us not to accidentally come too close although they also come in lighter brown variations.

Although they are fairly harmless to humans, they tend not to be a creature most of us would want to admire up close and personal. With a leg span of 12 inches - a size that fits comfortably onto a dinner plate - and a weight of 6 ounces, humans would much rather read about them than being formally introduced. They are quite defensive and being bitten will not fatally harm any human but with fangs as long as one and a half inches it will definitely draw blood and possibly produce a loud shriek from the pain. Also, sweating and vomiting might occur. This however will only happen if they feel truly threatened and they will produce warning signs by make a hissing noise and kick hairs in the directions of a perceived assailant that will irritate the skin, eyes and mucus membranes.

The females have a lifespan of between 15 and 25 years but the males seldom live past their 6^th birthday. This is because it only takes one male to fertilize a female to lay up to 200 eggs so clearly they are not needed for long as they soon lose their importance after this. The eggs are deposited into a sack that the mother guards and even takes with her when she leaves the burrow. These eggs hatch within two months and the spiderlings will stay in their nest until their first molt. They will grow up to become solitary animals that don't play well with others. They like to be left alone and therefore plus their aggressive nature they do not make good pets, even though some die-hard arachnid fans ignore this and keep them anyway.

Article Resource: Maritza Retief