The World's Biggest Spider Species You'd Never Want To See In Your House

Arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias in the world, with 3% to 15% of the global population fearing spiders. If you are one of the many with arachnophobia, there's one species on Earth you should especially want to steer clear of. It's the largest type of spider in the world, and it has one of the most terrifying names in the history of the animal kingdom: the Goliath birdeater.

The Goliath birdeater (Theraphoa blondi) is a rainforest-dwelling tarantula native to northern South America. Its leg span can reach up to a foot, while the spider's body itself can be almost 5 inches in length. Capable of reaching weights over 6 ounces, the Goliath birdeater is also the heaviest spider species in the world. It is truly a beast, but fortunately, it's not one of the common big spiders you need to worry about encountering. The Goliath birdeater lives in wet rainforest marshes, so it's unlikely to want to make a home out of your house.

Although its remarkable size is certainly its most notable feature, the Goliath birdeater has a few other identifying traits worth noting. In fact, there are quite a few differences between the male and female spiders of this species. The females are particularly long lived as spiders go, with lifespans of around 20 years. However, the males typically live only three to six years, dying soon after they mate. Goliath birdeaters are also some of the most aggressive tarantulas on Earth, although fortunately, they aren't quite as menacing as their name suggests.

Goliath birdeaters are large enough to eat birds, but they rarely do. It's not entirely clear how this species got its name, but the two leading theories state that it was either inspired by a 19th-century engraving depicting giant spiders eating birds, or by the account of a 16th-century explorer who saw the remains of chicks that had fallen into one of the spiders' burrows. In reality, the Goliath birdeater's diet consists primarily of crickets, lizards, and frogs, although it may sometimes eat larger prey like mice and yes, even birds.

The Goliath birdeater feeds in the night, lurking in burrows abandoned by other animals, waiting for vulnerable prey to wander by. The way it consumes its food is like something from a horror movie, using its fangs to inject its own digestive fluids into the prey, liquifying its victim's organs and slurping them up.

The venom of the Goliath birdeater is not deadly to humans. In fact, one of the most common small brown spiders, the brown recluse, poses a bigger threat through its bite. However, Goliath birdeaters have a notoriously bad temper, fiercely guarding their territory. They are known to hiss loudly at trespassers, including humans, and if they feel threatened, they will shoot out a burst of barbed hairs that can stick in your skin and eyes. At least this would ensure you never get close enough to feel its bite.