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Sticker of Queensland whistling tarantula
Bug card No. 1096 of 1,500

Queensland whistling tarantula

Selenocosmia crassipes
Name means: “crassipes is Latin for fat leg, after its thick front legs”
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsSpidersRainforests and jungles8 legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The Queensland whistling tarantula is the biggest spider in Australia, big and hairy with extra thick front legs. When something bothers it, it rubs hairs near its mouth to make a hissing sound. That is why people call it the whistling or barking spider.

Fun fact: spiders are not insects. Insects have six legs, spiders have eight. Everyone calls them bugs anyway!
Lives in
Northeastern Australia, in Queensland, in rainforests, shady forests and sometimes gardens
Length
6 to 9 cm (2.4 to 3.5 in)
Top speed
about 1.8 km/h (1.1 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Dangerous: look, do not touch

Watch out! Read all about it on Venom Wiki →

What does it eat?
It hunts at night, mostly insects and other spiders. Sometimes it also catches small geckos, skinks and frogs.
For real!Photo of Queensland whistling tarantula
Picture by Robertwhyteus at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Queensland whistling tarantula about 9 cm long (3.5 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 3 toy building bricks in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 2 seconds

How big is Queensland whistling tarantula compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

With its legs it can be up to 22 centimetres across.

2

It digs a burrow that can be up to 2 metres long, with a little room that keeps an air pocket for when it rains hard.

3

Females can live up to thirty years, males up to eight.

4

It is shy and usually stays close to its burrow.

you asked

Most asked questions about Queensland whistling tarantula

?Why is it called the whistling spider?

When it is bothered, it rubs hairs near its jaws together and makes a hissing, whistling sound.

?Does it really eat birds?

No. It lives on the ground and eats insects, spiders, small lizards and frogs.

Myth buster

Myth: It eats birds, because it is called a bird-eating tarantula.

Truth: No. It lives on the ground and hunts at night, so it almost never meets a bird. It eats insects, spiders, lizards and frogs.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Selenocosmia crassipes
Named by
L. Koch, 1874
Group
Spiders
Family
Theraphosidae
Classification
Arachnida > Araneae > Theraphosidae
Lives on
Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Barking spider, Bird-eating tarantula, Eastern tarantula

Where the facts come from

  1. Selenocosmia crassipes (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Robertwhyteus at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

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