What Type Of Spider Is The Goliath Birdeater?
The Goliath Bird-Eating Spider belongs to a group of spiders called Tarantulas. Tarantulas (there are about 900 different types) are generally large, hairy, and make tubes of silk or burrows to live in. They are generally harmless to people. Spiders are distinguished from other Scorpions and Mites and other Arachnids by the fact that they have fewer body segments, and they have spinnerets to produce spider silk. Spiders, together with scorpions and other similar creatures belong to a group of animals called Chelicerates. These get their name from the sharp points at their mouths, called Chelicerae. The Goliath Birdeater is not the world’s largest Chelicerate – this honour belongs to a kind of Sea Spider called Colossendeis colossea.
