Imagine a spider the size of a dinner plate. Not from a horror movie, but a real creature that lives in the tropical forests of South America. This is the Goliath bird-eater, one of the largest spiders on the planet, whose appearance is both frightening and mesmerizing.
Despite its formidable name, it does not eat birds often. Its diet consists mainly of insects, frogs, and even small rodents. It got its “royal” name from the first researchers who saw such a spider eating a hummingbird. This sight gave the name to the entire group of these spiders.
The goliath's life is hidden from view. It spends most of its time in deep burrows that it digs itself. It comes to the surface mainly at night to hunt. It is not an aggressive creature, and it often uses its famous “hairiness” for protection, brushing irritating hairs from its abdomen toward its enemy.
Let's take a closer look at this amazing animal. We will learn how it lives, what it eats, and why, despite its impressive size, it has something to fear in the wild.
Range, habitat, and living conditions
You can encounter this “furry” wonder in Brazil, Venezuela, or Suriname. Goliaths prefer tropical forests.
High soil moisture (about 90 percent) and reliable shelter from the sun are important for them. They feel quite comfortable when the temperature exceeds +25 degrees and reaches +30 degrees.
Goliath bird-eater
Character and lifestyle
The goliath spends most of the day in its burrow. When darkness falls, it goes out hunting. While waiting for its prey, it can remain completely motionless for a long time. It lets its prey get closer, then bites it and injects it with poison.
Please note! The spider prefers to hunt close to its home so that it does not have to carry its prey very far to its lair.
Goliath bird-eaters build their own homes or take over other creatures' shelters. For example, they feel quite comfortable in rodent burrows. They first engage in combat with the former owner of the burrow. In battle, the spiders use their poisonous chelicerae. Before attacking an enemy, the goliath rubs its chelicerae together. It also emits a threatening hiss.
Theraphosa blondi (Latreille, 1804)
The entrance to their conquered apartments is immediately covered with cobwebs. The walls are also covered with cobwebs. Bird-eating spiders spend most of their time in their burrows. It only leaves to hunt for food and continue its lineage.
Note! Goliaths live from 3 to 10 years, depending on conditions. There are more long-lived females than males. There are even unique specimens that have managed to live past the 30-year mark.
The Goliath bird-eating spider is not just the largest spider in the world, but a true underground wonder of nature. It lives in the tropical forests of Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil, rarely coming out into the open, and loves to hide in burrows. Despite its frightening size and hairy legs, it is not aggressive and is more likely to be frightened by humans than to attack them. This spider is a master of survival: it hunts deftly, lures its prey, and can go without food for years. Should we be afraid of the bird-eating spider? In fact, it is much more afraid of us.
Appearance
Goliath spiders can reach 10 centimeters in length. Females are always larger than their mates. Their bodies are almost one and a half times longer.
The spider weighs up to 170 grams. Females, again, are heavier.
Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi)
Its body is generously covered with long hairs. These hairs are very important for the spider's defense. When danger appears, it begins to brush them onto its enemy. When they come into contact with the enemy, the hairs cause itching, general weakness, and stinging in the eyes. They act almost like real tear gas. And that's exactly what the Goliath needs.
The hairs also allow the spider to gather valuable information from its surroundings. They replace the organs of hearing and touch, which the creature does not have. The “fur” helps it detect air movement and ground vibrations.
Photo of a Goliath birdeater
Body structure
The structure of its body is no different from that of other spiders. It includes a cephalothorax and abdomen, which are connected by a tube. Approximately 30 percent of the cephalothorax is the brain.
Theraphosa blondi
The cephalothorax is divided into two parts by a groove:
- the thorax;
- head with two pairs of chelicerae.
The chelicerae, in turn, consist of:
- pedipalps consisting of 6 segments;
- thickened segments with a movable claw at the end.
Under the claw is located a small opening. It is necessary for releasing venom. At the top of the bump, between the chelicerae, you can find the spider's mouth. With its help, the Goliath sucks out soft food. There are nerve endings in the mouth. They allow the spider to taste food.
Goliath Birdeater
In addition, four pairs of limbs are attached to the cephalothorax. Each of them includes seven segments.
Colouring
The colouring of the Goliath's body allows it to hide on the ground and on tree trunks. Spiders:
- brown;
- dark gray;
- brown with shades of grey.
Often, the limbs of representatives of this species have tiny white spots. They act as a kind of divider between the segments.
— Ekaterina Alekseeva I became acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child
Keeping conditions, care
The Goliath bird spider is a favorite and frequent choice for those who are interested in live exotic animals. It is suitable for novice researchers, as it is quite undemanding.
The main thing when keeping them is to ensure the necessary high humidity and maintain the temperature regime. If the goliath beetle lacks something (water, light, certain elements of its diet), all processes in its body slow down and its development stops.
An aquarium or terrarium is suitable as a home for a pet.
terrarium
. The conditions inside the container should be as close as possible to the natural environment for spiders. Thus, there should be a layer of substrate at least 5 cm thick at the bottom (since Goliath spiders are accustomed to underground life). The substrate can consist of bark and soil.
If the spider is accustomed to living on the surface, a log should be placed in the terrarium to serve as a shelter for the pet. Here, it will create a cozy place for itself by spinning a web.
The spider's glass house should have a water container. In addition, you can install a reservoir with moistened moss inside. It is best to place the terrarium in a darkened part of the room where there is no bright sunlight.
In addition, it is important to:
- during the winter months, it is important to control the temperature in the container (it should not fall below +25 degrees).
- maintain humidity at 75 percent, but prevent mold growth;
- separate male spiders from females immediately after mating (so that the female does not accidentally eat the “father” of her future offspring).
- clean the terrarium regularly (remove food debris and the remains of the spider's molted skin).
Moulting is an important moment in the life of a goliath. It is a responsible moment for both the spider's owners and the goliath bird-eater itself.
It begins to prepare for its personal “restructuring” (and complete renewal) in advance. If the goliath is still very young, it will stop eating for about a week. Older bird-eaters go on a diet earlier — as early as three months.
Theraphosa blondi (Latreille, 1804)
For your information! Choosing the right substrate; A singing male tree frog with an inflated throat sac-resonator
Diet
They are able to go without food for a long time. At the same time, there is no reason to complain about the lack of appetite in goliaths (especially those living in captivity).
Timely cleaning of the terrarium.
- the terrarium for tree frogs should be vertical, at least 40 cm high. For 6 adult specimens, the volume should be at least 60 liters. Place a substrate of soil, fine gravel, or expanded clay on the bottom of the terrarium.
- mating calluses on the first toe of the front limbs. Females do not have this. The female can also be distinguished from the male by the sound it makes. In males, it resembles a duck's quack or the cry of a cicada. Females, on the other hand, make a quiet “gurgling” sound. The sounds made by frogs are quite loud and can be heard far away.
- moths;
- small rodents;
- lizards and snakes;
- resonator
The Goliath bird spider first fills its prey with digestive juices. This liquefies the spider's victim's insides, allowing it to suck them out. The spider does not even touch the outer shell or bones of the creatures it eats.
Theraphosa blondi
Sexual differences in frogs of this species are very slight. The male has a large
- mice;
- frogs;
- meat in pieces.
Housing conditions, care Under no circumstances should young specimens be given food that exceeds their size. Seeing a larger insect, they may become frightened. Moreover, for a long time — for some time they will refuse to eat at all. The optimal, acceptable food size is half the size of the bird-eater's abdomen.
Maintaining the optimal temperature In order for the frog to delight you for much longer, it is necessary to create ideal conditions for its living, which include:
Setting up a terrarium;
In comfortable conditions, they reproduce year-round. They do not refuse to continue their lineage in captivity. It all starts when a suitor appears near the female's burrow. He announces his arrival and intentions by tapping his limbs frequently. If the female is ready for the encounter, she lets the guest in.
Often after fertilization the female eats the male. However, even if he manages to escape alive, he dies shortly after mating. This happens within a few weeks, less often — within a few months. Females, on the contrary, remain in good shape and even flourish — they become larger.
Over the course of a couple of months, the eggs form inside the female. During this time, she weaves a cocoon. She lays up to 500 eggs there, which she then carefully guards. Not all of them will hatch — only about 50 spiderlings.
Interesting
The goliath bird-eater uses the hairs on its body not only for protection and gathering information, but also as a “building material” for constructing its home.
The first scientific description of the spider was made in the early 19th century by Frenchman Pierre André Latreille.
The largest goliath bird-eating spider was caught in Venezuela in 1965. Its limbs were 28 centimeters long.
The bite of such a spider will not cause serious damage to health.
It is possible to determine that a young female is ready to reproduce through experimentation. It is sufficient to place a male near her and observe her behavior.
Bird-eating spiders choose elevated locations for their dwellings. The reason is that there is less risk of their burrows being washed away by tropical rains.
Bird-eating bites can be fatal to decorative pets, as well as cats.
Spider eating a snake
Important! Keeping spiders at home is strongly discouraged if there are children in the family. People who are prone to allergies should also refrain from buying a Goliath spider.
This is how the largest spider in the world lives — not terrorizing the neighborhood, but hiding underground in its burrow-fortress. The goliath is not an aggressor, but a cautious recluse whose life revolves around ambush hunting and patient waiting.
Observing it, you realize that its true nature is far from Hollywood caricatures. It is an incredibly strong, resilient, and in its own way perfect creature, ideally adapted to its environment. Its size is impressive, but even more impressive is its role in the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest.
The Goliath birdeater is a living reminder of how diverse and amazing life on our planet is. It makes us rethink our fears and inspires not so much disgust as respect for this majestic and silent giant from the world of spiders.
