Are Huntsman Spiders Friendly? Can You Keep Them In Your House?

Huntsman Spiders can grow very large and have a habit of entering human homes. So are huntsman spiders friendly, or should you be afraid of them? Let’s find out.

 It is very common to come across people who fear spiders, especially when the spiders are big and fast. One such spider is the huntsman.

These spiders are known for being the biggest arachnids in the world by leg span (actually, the giant huntsman spider is only one of the 1,300 species of huntsman spider) and agility.

They are also good hunters. But what if we tell you that the huntsman spider is not aggressive towards humans, and one should not be scared of them?

Yes, the fact is that there is a big misconception about these spiders being dangerous, perhaps because of their size and habit of entering homes.

In this article, we want to bust this myth.

Why Are People Afraid of Huntsman Spiders?

When a large spider comes suddenly running at you from a dark hiding place, it is natural for people to get a little intimidated, especially those with a fear of spiders.

The huntsman spider is one of the largest spiders in the world.

These giant spiders can be as large as the palm of a person’s hand. They show an average growth of around 6.3 inches, which is quite huge.

The giant huntsman spider can grow to be the size of a dinner plate! The huntsman family of spiders is quite big, with arachnids in all shapes and sizes.

Apart from the huge size, these spiders are hairy and are great runners. The fastest of these giant huntsman spiders runs almost as fast as an Olympic sprinter.

This incredible speed adds to their intimidation factor. But should we be afraid of these kinds of spiders? Let us find out in the next section.

Do We Need To Fear Them?

You will be surprised to know that despite their giant size and intimidating appearance, the huntsman spider is timid and are of no danger to humans.

There are rare instances where they have attacked humans.

Yes, their bite can be painful, but it doesn’t cause serious injury. Therefore when you come across these spiders, there is no need to panic.

There are several reports in the media about these spiders being found inside homes and cars, some even running across the sun visors, scaring the bejeezus out of families.

But the fact remains that huntsman spiders aren’t looking to bite you at all. They probably came into your home or car searching for food.

In fact, in 2014, a reporter from the Daily Telegraph newspaper from Australia actually did a challenge, letting a huntsman spider crawl across his face, just to show how harmless it is.

Do Huntsman Spiders Bite?

As we stated above, the Huntsman spiders can bite, but they are not aggressive toward humans.

The only time these spiders are mildly aggressive is during summer when the females guard their eggs.

If you threaten these spiders, they will probably run away from you. In rare cases, they might bite as a defensive display.

A huntsman spider bite is painful but does not cause any long-term harm to your body unless it triggers an allergic reaction.

Are They Venomous?

Yes, the huntsman is a venomous spider, but they use this venom for hunting and immobilizing the prey insects.

A huntsman spider bite can cause severe pain to the human body.

The bite can also cause other effects, including redness, swelling, vomiting, headache, and more. If the bite is severe or repeated, the signs can be even more drastic.

However, in most cases, a huntsman spiders bite doesn’t require any external hospital treatment.

If the bite causes an allergic reaction in the body, immediately rush to the hospital for proper medical support.

Do Huntsman Spiders Intentionally Chase You?

You must have already discovered how fast these spiders can move, and because of this speed, it sometimes might seem like they are chasing you when they run toward you.

But this is a myth; if you come across a huntsman and it starts running toward you, it is not chasing or attacking you.

The spider is actually trying to run away from you. It is trying to get to a safe place, away from the presence of a giant human who looks threatening.

Since they have poor eyesight, they often get the direction wrong and start running toward you.

Is There Any Benefit To Having Them Around?

The huntsman spiders are excellent hunters and experts at ambushing the prey and immobilizing them.

These spiders hunt and eat various insects, including moths and cockroaches. They also consume some anthropods, lizards, and frogs.

If you are facing pests like moths, cockroaches, and house lizards around or inside your house, it might be a good idea to let the huntsman spider roam around a bit.

The best part is these spiders do not build webs to catch the prey, so you don’t have to worry about those nasty cobwebs hanging in the corners of your house.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are huntsman spiders aggressive?

Huntsman spiders may be big and intimidating in size and super fast in their movements, but these creatures are timid and shy to face human beings.

They are rarely aggressive towards humans and prefer to run to safety when they encounter one.

However, you should never try to threaten the females, as they will aggressively defend their eggs and bite you in defense.

What do huntsman spiders eat?

The huntsman spider eats a range of insects and arthropods as a part of its diet. They also eat small lizards and frogs at times.

These strong predators do not capture the prey in webs and hunt them using strength and speed.

Once they have captured the prey, they use the large fangs to hold and inject venom into the hunt’s body to immobilize them.

Where do the huntsman spiders live?

The huntsman spiders are mainly found in the regions of Australia, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Florida, Hawaii, and other tropical and semi-tropical parts of the world.

Some of these species are also found in cold regions. For example, the green huntsman spider is found in the regions of Central and Northern Europe.

These spiders prefer to live in areas like the bark of trees, wall crevices, logs, foliage, rock crevices, and more.

What happens if a huntsman spider bites you?

Huntsman spiders are venomous and can cause severe pain through their bites on the human body.

It can also trigger swelling, redness, and headache in the victim’s body.

These insects rarely attack until they feel highly threatened. Therefore you should not approach them recklessly.

Wrap Up

Appearances can be deceptive, and in the case of the huntsman spider, this statement is very true.

A huge misconception is that these spiders are aggressive and dangerous to humans.

In fact, these timid and docile creatures will often run away from humans rather than attack them.

With the information given in this article, we hope that you will be able to handle the encounters with these insects in a smarter manner.

Thank you for taking the time to read the article.