Goliath The Giant Is The World's Largest Tarantula And He's Surprisingly Gentle

Arachnophobia, i.e., the irrational fear of spiders is the number one most common phobia in the world, and it is pretty damn easy to understand why. People describe those furry critters as “the stuff nightmares are made of," but the one species that is the most terrifying of them all is the mighty Goliath birdeater.

One reason might be their sheer size - an average individual can grow to the span of a human’s face. There’s a visual to ponder on. Goliath bird-eaters are the largest spider species known to man, but rest assured; they are generally docile and will not attack (probably).

To ease your uneasiness right now, let us tell you a few awesome facts about these arachnids. First of all, they are a species of tarantula. Their ladies can live for decades, while the males live only for a few years. That is probably why the males fight over their women when they sense the scent of the chemicals the females emit.

If there is more than one female in the area, two males can fight to the death over her. She does have the last word, though. The sad part about their whole macho fight thing is the men die within a few months after mating. So sad.

You can say that they are tiny archers, as they are known to shoot barbed hairs at their enemies when they feel threatened. So, if you stay out of a Goliath birdeater’s way, you don’t have to be nervous. They like to be left alone. What girls wouldn’t want a hairy man that is ready to fight for her to the death?

Spiders are scary! And the Goliath bird-eater is the most frightening of all the spiders in the universe! Its body length is typically around 4.5 inches (11 cm), and their legs can grow up to 11 inches (27 cm), and that is frickin’ too much if you ask us.

Did you know that they can have 200 babies at once? The female Goliath can have up to 200 eggs at once. But, don’t worry they are practically harmless. They like to be left alone so even though they are venomous, relax because they don’t use their venom on humans. They only attack if they feel threatened, so, if you stay away from their path, you have nothing to worry about.

They love to eat insects, small birds, worms, frogs, and sometimes snakes. Just like the other members of the Tarantula family, Goliath bird-eaters have lousy eyesight. They feel their prey by vibrations, and they make hissing noises just like rattlesnakes.

If these giant spiders weren’t enough, in 2017 were discovered new species of the Goliath beard-eaters. In the jungle of Peru, Ecuador and in Brazil were determine three new species of the Goliath tarantula.

These creatures have a place with an unexpected sort in comparison to the Goliath bird eater, which makes you consider what number of monster winged animal eating tarantula species there are on the planet.