Spiders

Sparassidae

Huntsmen Spiders

Social Huntsman (Delena cancerides) - Victoria, Australia - October 2010

Adult Huntsmen Spiders are generally nomadic hunters, hiding by day and emerging at night to actively search for prey.  Many are quite large (the above spider had a leg span of about 10cm) and its fearsome appearance led one species, Delena cancerides, to have a starring role in the horror film Arachnophobia.  In reality, however, there is little to fear from these spiders.  They are able to deliver a very painful bite, but will usually only do so if strongly provoked.  When disturbed the normal reaction of Huntsmen Spiders is to run away and hide.

Sydney Huntsman (Holconia immanis) with a few legs missing on my bedroom wall! - Queensland, Australia - October 2016