There are more than 40 thousand different species of spiders on our planet. Some are distinguished by their catchy colors, others stand out due to their lifestyle.
But perhaps the greatest interest is caused by huge spiders, capable of terrifying people with their size. There are many real giants among these arthropods and many of them are quite popular, for example, the tarantula or tarantula.
It is all the more surprising that one of the largest representatives of this order was unknown until the beginning of the 21st century. We are talking about a crab spider, a predator that has received the nickname “Jaeger” for its hunting skills.
Appearance
The huntsman spider, or, as it is also called, the crab spider, is one of the largest representatives of its order. This insect got its name “Jager” due to its predatory lifestyle. This species was discovered quite recently - in 2001 in the Khammouan province in central Laos.
The leg span of females reaches 30 cm, males are half that size . The insect is distinguished by thin, elongated limbs, which are crowned at the ends with claws, like those of a crab. With these claws, like pincers, the predator grabs its prey.
The crab spider has an elongated, oval body, 3 to 5 cm long. It is connected to the cephalothorax by a thin bridge. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, which, although they provide a good all-round view, are not sharp.
Representatives of this species do not have excellent eyesight; they rely more on their sense of smell and touch during the hunting process. Predators react to movement, see shadows and silhouettes.
Insects have a brown, brown, sandy or even orange color. The limbs are pubescent and have unevenly spaced dark spots.
The special structure of the curved legs allows the crab spider to move not only forward, but also sideways. The head of the predator is crowned with a pair of powerful jaws that can cope with small rodents and birds.
The most dangerous spiders in Australia
I already talked about the danger of leukoweb spiders about a year ago. These creatures belong to the family of funnelids and pose a great danger to people. They emerge from their burrows every year during periods of high humidity. delta atracotoxin, which is part of their venom, affects the human nervous system within 10 minutes after the bite and leads to poor circulation, shortness of breath, muscle cramps, terrible pain, and so on. Every year, 30-40 people suffer from bites from these creatures. According to statistics, between 1927 and 1981, these spiders caused the death of only 13 people, which means that most victims can be saved. And all this thanks to the antidote.
Spiders are especially dangerous in wet seasons because they crawl out of their burrows en masse.
Features of behavior
Researchers note the high reaction speed of the crab spider. The insect is able to turn 1800 and attack the victim in 1/8 of a second. For most of its life, the predator is passive, it hides under the foliage, waiting for its prey, and does not betray its presence with unnecessary movements.
In an effort to catch up with its prey, an arthropod can develop great speed . He is able to move equally effectively in all directions and even jump.
The female protects the egg laying. Seeing danger or, conversely, discovering a potential victim, it spreads its limbs in anticipation of the right moment and attacks with lightning speed.
Insects live alone, although they are quite social. Scientists often observed how spiders gathered in a “flock” consisting of 5-10 adults. They lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.
Crab spiders have another unique feature - the ability to regenerate limbs.
Other representatives of this order also have this ability, however, most of them can regrow damaged body parts only for a limited period until they fully grow.
Extinct giants
Spiders have lived on earth since prehistoric times. Scientists are sure that in former times these creatures grew to sizes that cannot be compared with the listed heroes of today's rating.
The logic of the researchers is clear: if the victims of spiders reached gigantic sizes, then the predators themselves must be large, otherwise they would not survive. But the complication is that fossils of giant dragonflies or other insects have long been found, but less luck with extinct spiders.
The fossil spider Nephila jurassica was only recently discovered. The remains were found in China, in the Jurassic deposits of the Inner Mongolia province. The span of the limbs of the ancient creature exceeds 15 cm, the body size is 3 cm. Paleontologists have established that the arachnid lived 165 million years ago.
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Nephila jurassica
The spider found under layers of ash was female. Females are much larger than males. Scientists are confident that they will be able to thoroughly examine the remains of a prehistoric arachnid, because volcanic ash preserved its body, protecting it from damage and decomposition for thousands of years - such preservation is not usually found.
It is certainly not the largest spider in history, but it is considered one among the fossils, since the remains of larger individuals have not yet been encountered.
Nutrition
Thanks to its impressive size, the predator can diversify its diet not only with small insects, but also with quite large animals.
The basis of nutrition is:
- mice, as well as other rodents.
- Small lizards, frogs.
- Comparable in size.
- Insects (cockroaches, beetles, flies).
When attacking a prey, a predator immediately injects poison into its body. The substances it contains instantly paralyze the insect or frog, preventing resistance.
Simultaneously with the poison, the crab spider introduces enzymes contained in the saliva into the body of the victim. Their task is to soften the insides, preparing the prey for eating.
Since crab spiders became known to the world, many cases of attacks by these creatures on small reptiles and rodents have been recorded.
Thus, in the Australian city of Coppabella, a large representative of this species caught a mouse. The size of the animal’s body was comparable to the body of the spider itself, which did not stop it from lifting its prey up the vertical wall of the refrigerator.
An interesting incident happened in the Australian city of Queensland. A couple preparing for Sunday dinner discovered a crab spider hanging from the living room window. The insect was one of the largest representatives of its genus and was the size of a dinner plate. The owners of the house managed to record how he successfully attacked and ate a long gecko, the size of a spider itself.
Strange discovery in the car
Emma lives in Adelaide, Australia with her husband and children. Just before Christmas, she discovered a huge huntsman spider in her car. They are not uncommon in Australia; sometimes they even crawl into houses, scaring residents half to death. The woman was also scared, but was able to expel the uninvited guest from the salon.
Later, when it seemed that everything was over, the young mother found a whole brood of spiderlings in the car. Moreover, everything happened in front of her children. She was driving to a gas station when baby spiders started appearing out of nowhere. “My eldest got scared when she saw a spider in the front seat and the other two kids started screaming too,” Emma said. It was unexpected and very scary.
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Reproduction
The giant crab spider begins the reproduction process with ritual courtship. Unlike most of their brethren, individuals of this species do not show aggression towards their partner.
Courtship continues for hours and, in addition to direct copulation, includes hugs and close bodily contact.
At one time, the female brings up to 200 new individuals. In order to preserve the offspring, she weaves a special bag from the web in which she places the eggs.
This protective cover is designed to protect future babies from external influences. The mother does not stray far from her cubs and often carries this bag with her. During this period, she is quite aggressive and can attack first if she notices danger.
Where does the crustacean monster live?
The coconut crab's habitat is exclusively terrestrial; an adult cannot live in water due to the fact that the gill lungs (something between gills and lungs) are adapted for breathing land air, despite the fact that such a respiratory organ contains tissues found in the gills. More precisely, the ability to exist in two environments (aquatic and terrestrial) is present at the initial life stage of the crab; as it grows, such an individual switches to a land lifestyle. In addition, these arthropods do not know how to swim at all and if they are in the water for more than an hour, they will definitely drown. The exception is when the coconut crab is still in the larval stage; in this case, the aquatic environment is native to him.
Danger to humans
Those who have had the chance to meet this giant arthropod first of all want to know what danger this meeting brings. The size of the insect causes hostility among people, even if the person does not suffer from arachnophobia.
Indeed, an encounter with such an arthropod can be quite unpleasant. Powerful jaws that crush reptiles will easily bite through skin.
Due to their large size, crab spiders bite very sensitively, but a collision with a predator does not pose a mortal danger.
Possible consequences of a bite for an adult:
- pain that occurs when punctured.
- Redness of the skin.
- Edema, swelling.
All of these symptoms disappear after a few days and, as a rule, do not require medical intervention. In people prone to allergies, as well as young children, the consequences of a bite may be more pronounced.
Occasionally, typical signs of intoxication are observed : nausea, diarrhea, muscle pain, general weakness, difficulty breathing.
All symptoms go away within a couple of days. To alleviate the condition, you can take antihistamines. Difficulty breathing indicates a severe allergy to the predator's venom. This condition requires immediate medical intervention.
Tegenaria wall
The next spider in the collection has a body size of up to 14.5 cm. With its legs spread, it appears much larger. With the help of 8 limbs, tegenaria runs nimbly and is considered the best sprinter among its relatives.
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Tegenaria wall
The arachnid has a white color, due to which it is easy to notice in nature. However, this can be done with difficulty, since tegenaria lives in Asian and African caves or ruins of buildings, while the number of the creature in the world is declining.
Check out Charlotte, whose size is unusually large even for huntsman spiders
There are more than 40 thousand different species of spiders on our planet. Some are distinguished by their catchy colors, others stand out due to their lifestyle.
But perhaps the greatest interest is caused by huge spiders, capable of terrifying people with their size. There are many real giants among these arthropods and many of them are quite popular, for example, the tarantula or tarantula.
It is all the more surprising that one of the largest representatives of this order was unknown until the beginning of the 21st century. We are talking about a crab spider, a predator that has received the nickname “Jaeger” for its hunting skills.
Goliath tarantula
It occupies first positions in all rankings of the largest spiders in the world. The length of the paws of young individuals reaches 30 centimeters, and their abdomen measures 13-15 cm. The spider received its name due to its massive and long legs, the largest among all representatives of tarantulas.
Contrary to popular belief, the Goliath tarantula cannot be trained and cannot be tamed. Even the most docile individuals will bite their owner sooner or later. Therefore, experienced breeders advise being careful when dealing with the spider, or not removing it from the terrarium at all.
By the way, in captivity, the harmless goliath tarantula is less active; it spends large periods of time in a frozen state, becoming mobile only at the time of feeding. If there is a lot of soil at the bottom of the terrarium, the spider will definitely dig a hole for itself and hide there, so you won’t be able to see it too often.
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Hercules Baboon Spider - body size from 7 to 9 cm, leg span up to 20 cm
Where he lives: in African countries such as Niger, Benin, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria.
The only known specimen of the Hercules baboon was caught in Nigeria about a hundred years ago and is in the Natural History Museum in London. It gets its name from its habit of eating baboons (pun intended). In fact, this spider is named for the resemblance between its legs and the toes of a baboon. Since no one has seen this spider for a long time, there is an assumption that it has disappeared from the face of the Earth. In a more optimistic version, he can lead a life underground, away from human eyes.
A close relative of the Hercules baboon, the royal baboon spider (Pelinobius muticus) lives in East Africa, and another related subfamily, Harpactirinae, is famous for its aggressive and unpredictable behavior and strong venom.
