Giant Huntsman Spider

Heteropoda maxima — the giant huntsman spider — was described in 2001 from a cave in Laos and immediately took the title of largest spider in the world by leg span, with verified specimens reaching 30 cm across. The huntsman family Sparassidae includes hundreds of species across tropical and subtropical regions; giant huntsmans are the largest. They do not build webs. Instead, they hunt on foot, ambushing prey with a fast sideways scuttle that gives the family its name. Their flattened body shape allows them to fit into surprisingly tight spaces — including the gaps behind sun visors in cars, where Australian huntsmans (Heteropoda venatoria and relatives) regularly cause moments of dramatic interior deceleration. The giant huntsman is a cave specialist found in karst cave systems of central Laos. Despite its size, the species' venom is mild and bites are rare and medically insignificant. The species feeds primarily on cave-dwelling cockroaches and other invertebrates. Maternal care is unusually devoted: female huntsmans carry their large flat egg sacs beneath their bodies and aggressively defend the spiderlings after hatching.