This huge hairy-legged Australian arachnid may be the fastest spider on the planet
Summary
Scientists studied the running speeds of over 250 spider species and found that the brown huntsman spider from Australia may be the fastest spider, reaching speeds up to 3.59 meters per second (8 mph). The brown huntsman uses a mix of muscle movement and hydraulic pressure to move quickly and is common in homes along Australia’s east coast.Key Facts
- The brown huntsman spider (Heteropoda jugulans) was recorded running at a peak speed of 3.59 m/s (about 8 mph).
- This speed is faster than the previous fastest recorded spider, the Moroccan flic-flac spider, which runs around 1.7 m/s.
- Researchers measured spider speeds by filming them running over gridded paper tracks.
- The study included spiders from the UK, Germany, North America, southern Europe, and Australia.
- Spiders move using muscles to pull limbs in and hydraulic pressure to extend them, a different method from most animals.
- Brown huntsman spiders live mainly on Australia’s east coast and rarely bite humans; their bites are usually mild.
- Larger spiders are not always faster; there is a size limit where speed decreases due to body and muscle limits.
- The researchers say other huntsman spiders might be even faster but have not been tested yet.
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