The amazing giant huntsman spider

Information about the amazing giant huntsman spider. Most members of the family known as the the Sparassidae family are commonly found in Australia and Asia, so it’s often called the Australian huntsman spider.

Australian huntsman spiders are strangely known also for being the hairy ‘tarantulas’ on the walls of the house that are notorious for freaking people out by appearing and rapidly scuttling behind curtains.

Huntsman spiders are known for their large size; they are big, long-legged spiders. Some male spiders of this species are so large that they achieve a leg span of 8-10 inches.

Huntsman spiders are generally grey or brown, and are sometimes found with banded legs. Many species of huntsman spiders have flattened bodies, possibly because they are adapted to live in narrow spaces, like in rock crevices and under loose bark.

Despite their often large and hairy appearance, huntsman spiders are not considered to be dangerous spiders. As with most spiders, they do possess venom, and a bite may cause some ill effects. However, they are quite reluctant to bite, and will usually try to run away rather than be aggressive.

Huntsmen are long-lived for spiders, with most living for about 2.5 years. Although some other primitive spiders (such as tarantulas) can live up to 20 years, most other spiders live less than a year.

All huntsman spiders are active at night, emerging from their retreats to forage for insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small vertebrates. They are ambush predators, generally sitting and waiting for prey to come close before running and leaping on it.

Huntsmen don’t use webs, but use a combination of vibrations and vision to locate their prey. Consider the huntsman a small workforce of natural insect exterminators in your house and garden.

Some Huntsman species live quite socially in groups of up to 300. They will help raise children together and even share food.

When the baby huntsman are ready to hatch, some huntsman mum’s will moisten the sack that’s covering them and help tear it open. She can be a bit touchy when she’s looking after her babies. You may see her rear up to scare away any predators nearby.

The flattened shape of Huntsman’s allows them to get under sheets of loose bark and other cracks and crevices around rocks and logs. Actually, it’s better than that. They can also twist their legs around so that, instead of bending down they bend forwards. That enables them to crawl into even thinner gaps, and also gives them that distinctive legs-bending-forwards look.

Aussies have learned to pretty much co-exist with the Huntsman Spider, realizing that they are both non-aggressive and non-toxic to us but are responsible for catching most of the other less favorable creatures (cockroaches) that invade our homes.