(Theraphosa blondi) collected by members of the Pablo San Martin
Expedition at Rio Cavro, Venezuela in April 1965. It had a record
leg-span of 28 cm (11 in) - sufficient to cover a dinner plate. This
species is found in the coastal rainforests of Surinam, Guyana and
French Guiana, but isolated specimens have also been reported from
Venezuela and Brazil.
A two year old spider of the same species, bred by Robert Bustard and
rearedby Brian Burnett of Alyth, Perthshire also had a leg span of 28
cm (11 in) and weighed 170 g (6 oz) in February 1998.
The Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is an arachnid, or spider,
belonging to the tarantula family, Theraphosidae. It is considered to
be the second largest spider in the world (by leg-span, it is second
to the giant huntsman spider), and it may be the largest by mass. Also
called the Goliath bird-eating spider, it gets its name from reports
of explorers from the Victorian era, who witnessed one eating a
hummingbird.
Body length: 280 mm, Weight: 50 g, lifespan: 10 years, discovered: 1804.
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