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Feb 22, 2009 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana
The Giant House Spider is a member of the genus Tegenaria and is a close relative of both the infamous Hobo spider and the Domestic house spider.
The bite of this spider species, according to researchers, does not pose a threat to humans or animals although like most spiders they possess quite a potent venom to subdue their prey.
Females can grow to lengths of about 18 millimeters (mm) with leg spans being typically around 45 mm.
Males on the other hand have a slightly smaller body at around 12 to 15 mm and have leg spans that are highly variable with spans between 25 mm to 75 mm being common.
The Giant House spider has the same coloration as the Domestic House Spider; it has earthy tones of brown and muddy red or yellow. They also have conspicuously hairy legs and abdomen.
The webs built by the Giant House Spider are flat and messy with a funnel at one end. Usually their webs are found in corners both on the floor and ceiling between boxes in basements, attics or any other area that is rarely disturbed by large animals or humans.
These spiders are known to lurk in the funnel until a small invertebrate happens to get trapped in the web at which point the spider runs out and attacks it.
With speeds clocked at 1.73 feet per second (0.53 mile per second) the Giant House Spider had held the Guinness Book of World Records for top spider speed until 1987 when it was displaced by another spider species called the sun spider.
A population of Giant House Spiders is popularly thought to be a deterrent to the establishment of the Hobo spider species which are considered more likely to bite humans. The two species are said to compete with each other for the same resources.
Hobo spiders grow no more than a body length of 15 mm (0.59 inches) long and the larger female giant house spider can be much longer as was mentioned earlier coupled with their proportionately much longer legs.
The Giant House Spider is also rivalled by the Common House Spider or the Domestic Spider which are close relatives of the Hobo Spider. The Domestic Spider while it is said to have an unpleasant bite is rarely known to bite.
However, like the Giant House Spider, the Domestic Spider is commonly encountered by humans.
These can reach three to four inches in length and the male two to three inches. The male of this species has longer legs and a more slender abdomen than the female with the leg span being able to reach up to one inch long.
So close are the appearance of the Hobo and Domestic Spider due to their herringbone pattern on the abdomen although the Domestic Spider is generally smaller in size, is a darker shade of brown with small circles on the abdomen and have a striped pattern on the legs.
They generally build a flat sheet-like web with a funnel shaped retreat at one end much like that of the Giant House Spider. Similarly their webs can become quite large if undisturbed.
When prey stumbles into the web, the domestic house spider dashes out of the funnel and attacks it like the Giant House Spiders do. These spiders are generally very active at night. They are not a seasonal spider and can be found year-round if their habitat is survivable. (Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)
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