Let's find out what kind of spider it is.
One of the largest spiders in Asia, Heteropoda maxima (aka giant hunting spider) also lives in hard-to-reach places.
The span of his legs reaches 30 centimeters: according to this indicator, he has no equal in the world. Like any self-respecting spider from a fairy tale, he lives in a cave.
In 2001, Peter Jaeger discovered this species in the collection of the Parisian National Museum of Natural History, after which he traveled to remote corners of Laos to see it with his own eyes in its natural habitat.
Why this spider grows to this size is still unknown.
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“It's hard to find a definitive explanation,” says Jager, “but it seems to me that in the case of Heteropoda maxima, one of the reasons is probably related to his cave lifestyle. There is less prey here than outside, which means that the spider grows more slowly and perhaps that is why it ends up being so big.
Unfortunately, the fame of the giant hunter spider has already led to dire consequences. The population is shrinking due to unregulated demand from rare animal and insect traders, Jager said.
Large hunting spiders are also found in Australia, usually hiding under loose tree bark, but sometimes their long legs protrude from the wall clocks and even from the sun visors in cars.
They prey on harmful insects such as flies, and therefore can be considered quite useful creatures.
Heteropoda maxima lives in the Lao province of Khammuan, where it probably inhabits caves. However, unlike other spiders that inhabit caves, its eyes are not reduced.
Both sexes are the same color. The main color is brownish-yellow. There are several irregular dark spots on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is somewhat darker than the cephalothorax and has two small dark depressions. Chelicerae, labium and coxa are dark red-brown in color. There are dark spots on the pedipalps. Males are slightly smaller. Very little is known about these interesting spiders.