Random Facts About The Goliath Birdeater, An Unexpectedly Gentle Giant (12 items)

(#6) It's A Species Of Tarantula

Goliath birdeater spiders are taxonomically classified as Theraphosa blondi. They belong to Arachnida Class, Aranea Order (spiders), Mygalomorphae Suborder, and Theraphosidae Family. The latter makes them tarantulas, a family of spiders containing at least 947 species. Tarantulas are typically large spiders with hair on their legs and abdomen and two tarsal (at the end of the their legs) claws.

They are burrowing creatures that pose no serious threat to humans and can live as long as 30 years in the wild.
(#10) They Make Defensive Sounds Like Those Of A Rattlesnake

When threatened, Goliath birdeaters rub their legs together to make an intense hissing that sounds like a rattlesnake. The sound is meant to scare potential threats so the spider doesn't have to fight for its life.
(#4) Males Die Not Long After Mating

Male Goliath birdeaters typically die a few months after mating, having fulfilled their biological function. The female spins a web, lays 50 to 200 eggs in that web, gathers the web into a ball, and carries it around. Carrying the egg sac makes Goliath birdeaters unique among tarantula species.
(#7) Despite The Name, They Mostly Eat Worms

While it's true Goliath birdeaters attack and eat small birds, they rarely manage to catch avian prey in the wild. In fact, they subsist primarily on worms, supplemented with typical giant spider fare such as insects, lizards, frogs, toads, and even the occasional snake.
(#5) Like All Tarantulas, Their Eyesight Is Terrible

Despite what you may surmise from looking at them, Goliath birdeaters are not perfect killing machines. Like all tarantulas and most spiders, they have incredibly poor eyesight. To make up for this, tarantulas hunt by sensing vibrations on the ground. When they feel something, they pounce on their prey and subdue it with venom.

Tarantulas make up for poor eyesight by hunting at night, putting them on equal footing with anything that isn't an owl. Or Predator. But why would a tarantula hunt Predator?
(#12) They're Relatively Harmless To Humans

The Goliath birdeater really just wants to be left alone. The only time they attack humans is when threatened. If you keep your distance, you'll be fine. While Goliath birdeaters are venomous spiders, they usually won't use their venom on humans. If they do, at worst you'll suffer some pain and swelling; their venomous bite is likened to a wasp sting.

However, they usually deliver a dry bite, or one with no venom.