Sparassidae

The Huntsman Spider

Heteropoda venatoria

Mild

Photo: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Family

Sparassidae

Size

Leg span up to 150 mm

Region

Tropical & subtropical worldwide

Habitat

Under bark, on walls and ceilings, frequently indoors in warm climates.

Overview

Large, flat and lightning fast. Its legs splay crab-like, letting it squeeze under bark and into tight gaps.

Standout fact

A huntsman can cover a metre in under a second — useful camouflage hunting at night.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The spider you most often meet indoors. It builds tangled cobwebs in quiet corners and is completely harmless to people.

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black with the unmistakable red hourglass. Its neurotoxic venom makes it the most medically significant spider in North America.

Loxosceles reclusa

A shy, reclusive hunter recognised by the dark violin shape on its back. Its cytotoxic venom can cause slow-healing wounds.

Phidippus audax

Charismatic, curious and fuzzy, with huge forward-facing eyes. It hunts by pouncing rather than building webs.