Fastest spider in the world? This huge, hairy-legged Australian arachnid may be the quickest on the planet
News Source
β’Sat, 11 Jul 2026 15:02:21 GMT
π° What Happened
Scientists in the UK and Germany have found that Australia's brown huntsman spider may be the fastest spider on Earth. The team measured the speed of more than 250 spider species using cameras and gridded paper tracks. The brown huntsman reached a top speed of 3.59 metres per second, or about 13km/h. That is more than twice as fast as the old record holder, the Moroccan flic-flac spider, which only manages 1.7 m/s.
π The Backstory
Huntsman spiders are already famous in Australia for their large size and hairy legs. They are known for scary habits like dragging dead mice up fridge doors. The brown huntsman, called Heteropoda jugulans, lives across eastern Australia. Scientists collected 162 species from London, Germany, North America, southern Europe, and Australia for the study. They also used past research from Dr Christofer Clemente at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The findings have been sent to a scientific journal for review.
π― Why It Matters
This study shows that common Australian spiders are more remarkable than people think. Understanding spider speed helps scientists learn how these creatures hunt and survive, which matters for pest control and ecosystems.
Scientists in the UK and Germany have found that Australia's brown huntsman spider may be the fastest spider on Earth. The team measured the speed of more than 250 spider species using cameras and gridded paper tracks. The brown huntsman reached a top speed of 3.59 metres per second, or about 13km/h. That is more than twice as fast as the old record holder, the Moroccan flic-flac spider, which only manages 1.7 m/s.
Huntsman spiders are already famous in Australia for their large size and hairy legs. They are known for scary habits like dragging dead mice up fridge doors. The brown huntsman, called Heteropoda jugulans, lives across eastern Australia. Scientists collected 162 species from London, Germany, North America, southern Europe, and Australia for the study. They also used past research from Dr Christofer Clemente at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The findings have been sent to a scientific journal for review.
This study shows that common Australian spiders are more remarkable than people think. Understanding spider speed helps scientists learn how these creatures hunt and survive, which matters for pest control and ecosystems.