Golden Huntsman Spider

Description

The Olios giganteus Golden Huntsman Spider is one of the largest US spiders. Like jumping spiders, they are not big webbers and rely on a wonderful sense of vision and also agility to capture their prey.

Available as medium sized juveniles with a legspan that is about 1 to 2 inches. Appear to be females but no guarantee as sex characters may not yet be perfectly evident (palpal bulbs).

They are golden and fuzzy, bulky and with a legspan that reaches an impressive 2.5 inches. They are disinclined to bite and likely not very venomous, though individual reactions to bites may vary. I’ve handled many and seen others handle them and haven’t ever even seen them strike at a person though one person mentioned having been bitten, once.

They are wonderful climbers and like to sequester themselves away in a dark corner by day. At night they emerge to hunt and feed although they will actively pursue their prey by day too.

(photo is of adult female)