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Animal profile

Goliath Birdeater

Theraphosa blondi

ArachnidaLowland tropical rainforest, in silk-lined burrows under roots and rocks

Field profile

A heavy-bodied burrowing tarantula of northern South America, and by mass the largest spider known. Females live for many years in a permanent burrow and hunt on foot at night. Its usual response to disturbance is to fling irritating hairs rather than to bite.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-12-19

Goliath Birdeater

The goliath birdeater rarely eats birds

The name comes from a single early eighteenth-century engraving of a tarantula feeding on a hummingbird. The spider's recorded diet is dominated by insects, earthworms and amphibians, with vertebrates taken opportunistically rather than as a staple.

Read with evidence →

Goliath Birdeater | Daily Animal Facts