I Didn’t Know That
Q: How big is the biggest spider?
A: Big enough to cover a dinner plate, according to entomologist Gilbert Waldbauer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The largest known spiders are the Goliath bird-eating spiders of the coastal rain forests of northeastern South Africa. The largest one known had a leg span of more than 11 inches. The heaviest one known, a female captured in Suriname, weighed 4.3 ounces, easily large enough to subdue a bird. Wood warblers weigh only about 0.35 of an ounce, a scarlet tanager about 1 ounce, and a blue jay about 3.5 ounces.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.