The Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is a large spider that belongs to the tarantula family Theraphosidae. Found in northern South America, it is the largest spider in the world by mass (175 g (6.2 oz)) and body length (up to 13 cm (5.1 in)), and second to the giant huntsman spider by leg span. It is also considerably longer than the largest known prehistoric spider, Mongolarachne, that had a body length of 2.46 centimeters (0.97 in). It is also called the Goliath tarantula or Goliath bird-eating spider; the practice of calling theraphosids "bird-eating" derives from an early 18th-century copper engraving by Maria Sibylla Merian that shows one eating a hummingbird.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
We have no record of Goliath Birdeater being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Theraphosa stirmi
- Megaphobema velvetosoma
- Ephebopus murinus
- Acanthoscurria simoensi
- Thrigmopoeus truculentus
- Ephebopus rufescens
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Araneae
- Family
- Theraphosidae
- Genus
- Theraphosa
- Species
- Theraphosa blondi
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