Huntsman Spider - Heteropoda Maxima - Giant Spider

THAT is the Huntsman Spider.

Huntsman Spiders (but not necessarily Heteropoda Maxima) can be found in warm places where spiders thrive, particularly parts of South and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and (Heteropoda venatoria) parts of the South, portions of California and Hawaii in the United States.

There are 1009 separate Huntsman species making up the Sparassidae Family around the world, each varying somewhat in size and shape, but maintaining the primary characteristic of having their legs extend forward, looking much like crabs' legs. For this reason, some people call Huntsmen Crab Spiders, but the Crab Spider is a completely different spider.


Huntsman Spiders favor various brown shades to fit into woodland and desert settings, have more spindly legs and are far bigger than the typical crab spider.

Crab Spiders are characterized by their much larger, sometimes mushroom shaped bodies, range from white to yellow and are capable of changing their colors slightly to blend in on plants.

Both spiders do not build webs, but rather ambush their prey by holding still and then moving quickly when it is time to strike.

Despite the lack of perspective in the Huntsman photo and the extreme closeup of the Crab Spider, the Huntsman averages much, much larger, anywhere from 4 inches to 1 foot across, while the diminutive Crab Spider is about the size of a quarter.

Huntsman Spiders get their name by waiting for prey to come close, and like lions, chase their prey for short distances. Contrary to their gangly and cumbersome appearance, Hunstman Spiders are very fast and are able to chase down their prey with ease.

Hunstman Spiders appear to be very aggressive, as they will arch up to make displays to frighten off perceived threats, and will tenaciously cling to attackers or perceived attackers if they think it will protect them. Given any other circumstance, Hunstman Spiders are designed to slip through holes and cracks and will escape if they feel outmatched (which is pretty much anything bigger than they are).

Although they can occasionally adopt an aggressive stance, they are harmless and shy unless you stir one up by accident or interfere with its eggs.

That's all great...but what about me?!

Huntsman Spiders are not harmful to humans, and although big and scary, are certainly not strong enough to carry off or take a bite out of a human. They may bite in self-defense, as many spiders can, in which case they are not very venomous, and the only result will be a big red spider bite. As mentioned before, they can cling if picked up, and may bite, making a close-up Huntsman encounter a frightening and potentially painful one, but ultimately not life-threatening.

Alright, enough scaring you...to properly answer the question, Hunstman Spiders mainly eat insects, other spiders and sometimes small lizards and snakes. Big enough Hunstmen might kill and digest very small rodents. Your pets are probably safe, unless you own very small rodents or reptiles. They do not swim, so your fish are safe, too.

...Camel Spiders

Camel Spiders are neither camels nor spiders (discuss), but are actually Order Solifugae, which are Class Arachnida (Arachnids, 8 legs, two body segments) but not quite the same as spiders (Order Araneae).

Camel Spiders (also known as Sun Spiders or Wind Scorpions, of which type they are neither) get their reputation from thriving in the desert, being really big (6 inches or more) and generally scary (they can run up to 10 mph, and tend to chase shadows for coolness, often chasing people with moving shadows).

Although they have a big, painful bite, they don't prefer to attack people or livestock unless threatened and are not typically aggressive despite their desire to be in the shade.

Despite looking like a combination between a spider, a scorpion, a termite, an ant, and a nightmare, they are generally harmless to people and livestock.

Rumors persist of the Camel Spider's ability to inject venom and dissolve skin and muscle tissue, much like the necrotic Brown Recluse. This is not true of the Camel Spider, although their size can cause large, painful bites that require significant medical treatment. Camel Spider bites can heal on their own with careful care.

You've probably seen Huntsman Spiders before and never knew about it.

Arachnophobia (1990)

Ever seen Arachnophobia with Jeff Daniels and John Goodman? It also starred an unnumbered cast of Delena Cancerides, aka Avondale Spiders. These little, harmless, yet ultimately frightening spiders are Family Sparassidae and come from Australia. They were "trained" by an entomologist to move through and into scenes on cue using hair dryers to goad them along.

Note: The big spider in the movie is actually a species of tarantula. They eat birds among other things but are relatively harmless to humans.

Clock Spider

Popularized by Fark, these pics of the dreaded clock spider (another Australian Huntsman) are always trucked out any time big nasties are part of the discussion.

Apparently, someone came home one day to find 4 lithe legs sticking out from behind his clock. The rest is Internet history.

"Aussie" here looks to be about 6" across with maybe a 3" body. He looks huge, but he could be a lot bigger by Huntsman standards.

This is a dad trying to catch a huntsman spider while his young daughter holds the camera.

He has a Alien-facehugger moment and runs from the room, while daughter drops the camera. Judging by her advice, she's the only smart one in the room.

Stick around until :51 for the festivities.

You've been warned - flying spider action.

Nope. As mentioned before, they travel through a lot of the world.

Like most spiders, they are prolific and like to hide in things, so shipping tends to transport different species of Huntsmen all over the world.

The one featured above is an African Huntsman (covering most of the side of a bucket).

In Hawaii, Huntsman Spiders are called Cane Spiders as they like to hang out in the sugar cane fields (as well as houses, cars and anything else they can crawl into).

For those of you in the continental U.S., you're more likely to see Tarantulas, Black Widows, Daddy Long Legs and Wolf Spiders than you are to see Huntsmen, but they ARE there and have been sited as far north as Ohio (probably a transplant).

JHFSEO is an SEO, Content Writer and Project Manager in Tempe, Arizona.

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