Are Australian spiders really that big?

[Insanity72]

Ok so i'm pretty sure i can safely say that Australia is seen as a country that has some pretty damn big spiders.

But if i'm walking around my house and see a spider the size of my palm, i don't consider that a big spider. But to the non Aussies here, If you saw a spider the size of your palm, would you consider it big or not? what do you consider to be a large spider?

 

[Eekaida]

Don't know about Austrailian spiders, but I think camel spiders are pretty big

 

[Insanity72]

Don't know about Austrailian spiders, but I think camel spiders are pretty big

Yeah i think even Aussies think that a 12 inch long (largest recorded size i think) spider is pretty damn big

 

[ChupathingyX]

Not really, the only large spiders I ever find in my house are Huntsman spiders. Other than that the rest are small. Of course there are other large spiders in Australia, but Hunstman are the only semi-common ones I've encountered.

 

[trollnystan]

A big spider for me is roughly the size of my thumb above the second knuckle. (I'm talking about the body, not including the legs. Much.) Anything bigger that is given the description "bloody ginormous get it away GETITAWAY!" So once again my desire to never set foot in Australia has been enforced, thanks OP. *shudders*

 

[Hiname]

*asks google about how much 12 inch are in cm*

... Fuck this shit, Im outta here. *flies to mars*

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

Damn it, I wanted to visit Australia.

 

[Insanity72]

Damn it, I wanted to visit Australia.

Come down in winter, i don't recall seeing many spiders in winter

 

[Meestor Pickle]

Any spider is too big, even for some Aussies

/shame

 

[Azureraider]

The big spiders are the bird-eating tarantulas, which we do have, though they're not as big as South America, I think. They're also mostly found out bush anyway. We do, however, have the most venomous spiders, and those buggers will hide under your damn toilet seat.

 

[LongAndShort]

Don't know about Austrailian spiders, but I think camel spiders are pretty big

Yeah, even us Aussies think that those things are fuckin massive. Mind you I'd be more worried if I saw one of our spiders rearing up. Funnel Webs are angry bastards and Red Backs get you when you're vulnerable.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Yes, a palm is way too big.

 

[Insanity72]

Yes, a palm is way too big.

That's including legs.....sometimes....

 

[Azureraider]

Yes, a palm is way too big.

That's including legs.....sometimes....

Wouldn't it have to though? I'm pretty sure a spider with a six-inch-long body wouldn't be able to breathe properly.

 

[Hoplon]

Big spiders? who the hell cares about the big ones? (hur hur)

It's the little ones that have lethal bites.

 

[Abedeus]

Uhh. I saw a palm-sized spider once.

My dad treated it with a vacuum cleaner.

As for myself, I'd use a handgun.

 

[CulixCupric]

the coconut crab, is actually a spider:

this is a medium sized one, btw, they can get bigger.

 

[Vault101]

for me if its "thick" and hairy then its fucking big and fucking scary

like the huntsman..they are bith big and common *shudder*

 

[bkrockwell]

If you're asking if Australian spiders deserve their reputation as some of the biggest and scariest around, the answer is yes. And yes, they would creep most people out. Myself included.

 

[C-Mag]

'Course, if you live in Australia, then you know that the big ones are freaky, but only scary if they fall on your face.

Their bites still hurt like Billy'O, but....

When you live in a country with such an absurd amount of deadly spiders, you grow to appreciate the ones that have the common decency to hang out on your ceiling, rather than skulking under your toilet seat in the dead of night.

(And by Billy'O, I mean excruciating pain)