This huge hairy-legged Australian arachnid may be the fastest spider on the planet
Guardian AU
β’Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:00:55 GMT
π° What Happened
An analysis of more than 250 spider species by scientists in the UK and Germany has found that the Australian brown huntsman spider (Heteropoda jugulans) is the fastest spider on Earth, reaching 3.59 m/s. The study incorporated earlier research supervised by Dr. Christofer Clemente, originally published in 2021, which used cameras and gridded paper to measure spider running speeds.
π The Backstory
Scientists collected 162 different spider species from around London, Greifswald (Germany), North America, southern Europe, and Australia for the speed measurements. Huntsman spiders in Australia are already notorious for their large size, hairy legs, and ability to climb walls and even drag dead mice up the sides of fridges.
π― Why It Matters
The discovery adds to Australia's collection of extreme species records and advances scientific understanding of spider locomotion biomechanics. For arachnophobes in Australia, it confirms that one of the country's most common household spiders is also the fastest in the world.
An analysis of more than 250 spider species by scientists in the UK and Germany has found that the Australian brown huntsman spider (Heteropoda jugulans) is the fastest spider on Earth, reaching 3.59 m/s. The study incorporated earlier research supervised by Dr. Christofer Clemente, originally published in 2021, which used cameras and gridded paper to measure spider running speeds.
Scientists collected 162 different spider species from around London, Greifswald (Germany), North America, southern Europe, and Australia for the speed measurements. Huntsman spiders in Australia are already notorious for their large size, hairy legs, and ability to climb walls and even drag dead mice up the sides of fridges.
The discovery adds to Australia's collection of extreme species records and advances scientific understanding of spider locomotion biomechanics. For arachnophobes in Australia, it confirms that one of the country's most common household spiders is also the fastest in the world.