| Goliath birdeater | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Theraphosa |
| Species: | T. blondi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Theraphosa blondi (Latreille, 1804)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) 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.[1] It is also called the Goliath tarantula or Goliath bird-eating spider;[2] 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. Despite the spider's name, it rarely preys on birds.[3][2]
- ^ World's biggest spider face-off - see which bug wins here Archived October 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Tarántula Goliat: La araña más grande del mundo". Infoterio Noticias | Ciencia y Tecnología (in Spanish). 2024-08-09.
- ^ Herzig, Volker; King, Glenn F. (2013). "The Neurotoxic Mode of Action of Venoms from the Spider Family Theraphosidae". In Nentwig, Wolfgang (ed.). Spider Ecophysiology. Springer. p. 203. ISBN 978-3-642-33989-9.