Freakishly Huge Spiders

Spiders the size of rats? Hmmm.... I wonder if they make good pets...

Goliath Birdeater spiders are the biggest spiders on earth, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. They can live as long as ten years and grow to have a leg span of up to a foot long! Think about that the next time you eat at at Subway!

The Goliath Birdeater, (or Theraphosa blondi for you sciencey types) are covered in furry, spikey hairs that they can shoot out in self-defense. If you get those tiny barbed hairs in your eyes, they'll burn and itch like pepper-spray. Wicked fangs, too! They can grow fangs two-inches long! They can't really kill you and their bite ins't poisonous, but neither is a nailgun!

But don't worry. As I told my girl last night, (after totally freaking her out with this story)

These spiders live in the Amazon rainforest. Not North America... Not yet anyway.