Largest Spiders by Leg Span

About This Dataset

The largest spiders by maximum leg span, in centimetres. The giant huntsman spider of Laos spans up to 30 cm - about the size of a dinner plate - narrowly beating the bulkier Goliath birdeater, the heaviest spider in the world.

✨ AI Insight

The giant huntsman spider (30 cm) and Goliath birdeater (28 cm) top the list, illustrating two different builds of giant spider: the huntsman is long-legged and spindly, spanning wide despite a modest body, while the Goliath birdeater is the heaviest spider alive, packing far more mass into a slightly smaller span. The Brazilian salmon pink birdeater (26 cm) follows closely, and the remaining tarantulas cluster around 15-20 cm. All the true giants are tropical, thriving in warm, humid rainforests and caves where abundant prey and stable temperatures support their large size. The narrow spread at the top - barely a few centimetres separating the record-holders - shows how close these species are to the practical size ceiling for a land-dwelling, air-breathing arachnid.

Source: Discover Wildlife / Guinness World Records

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Giant huntsman spider leads with 30 in All Time.

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Average value in All Time: 23 · median: 23.

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Gap in All Time: Giant huntsman spider is 2× larger than Brazilian wandering spider.