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Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria)

Heteropoda venatoria

The Heteropoda venatoria, the famous 'Huntsman Spider' (Pantropical). It is an enormous and flat wandering spider (3.9-5.9 inches legspan) famous all over the world for its lightning speed and the absolute inability to weave webs to hunt. Hunts exclusively by sight and running on vertical surfaces. The body is gray-brown, flattened, with long legs pointing forward (crab) ideal for slipping behind paintings or in cracks. Totally harmless to humans (negligible venom) but of great utility because it relentlessly devours house roaches, it is the gentle giant for terrarium keepers who love pure kinetic action.

Taxonomy

Class:Arachnida

Order:Araneae

Family:Sparassidae

Genus:Heteropoda

Species:Heteropoda venatoria

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Environment

Terrestrial

Humidity

65 - 80 %

Day temperature

24 - 28 °C

Night temperature

20 - 24 °C

UVB

None

Species description

Geographic Origin and Habitat: The museum record describes the species as tropical and often encountered in houses in tropical regions; it does not establish an exhaustive native range.

Taxonomy and Genetics: The record identifies Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) as an arachnid spider in Sparassidae.

Behaviour and Habits: It does not build a web and hunts prey directly after prolonged ambushes.

Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: The museum account describes a flattened brown spider and states that females are larger than males; these are record-level observations, not an identification key.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Terrarium Setup: The cited museum record describes a non-web-building, direct-hunting spider; it does not provide a validated enclosure size or furnishing protocol.

Lighting and Heating: No captive temperature or lighting interval is given.

Humidity and Hydration: No captive humidity parameter is given.

Feeding and Supplementation: The record identifies prey principally as large cockroaches and other invertebrates in its ecological account; it does not establish a captive feeding schedule or supplement regime.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: The source describes direct predation and does not evaluate cohabitation.

Health and Common Diseases: It is not a veterinary source.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species originates from: Pantropicale (Originaria dell'Asia tropicale, ormai cosmopolita in aree calde globali, Florida).

Origin

Cosmopolitan or introducedNorth America

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Diet: No verified data available
Life expectancy: No verified data available
Adult size: 2.8 cm
Lifestyle/Microhabitat: No verified data available
Activity cycle: No verified data available
Sociality: No verified data available
Reproduction: No verified data available
Venom level: No verified data available
Handling tolerance: No verified data available
Brumation: No verified data available
Molting: No verified data available

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Related species

Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.

Recommended companions

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Similar care

Cards with similar requirements, difficulty, habitat, and husbandry profile.

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Origin

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Image gallery

Related species

Recommended companions

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Mitchell's Reed Frog

Muller's Narrowmouth Toad

Similar care

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Emerald Beetle (Chlorocala africana)

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Florida Whip Spider (Phrynus marginemaculatus)