Subject: Big Spider
Geographic location of the bug: Peru, Rainforest Lodge around 20km northeast of Iquitos at Amazon river
Date: 01/05/2018
Time: 05:51 AM EDT
I think that spider looks like the Australian Huntsman spiders. Are these also common in south America? Or is it only to me looking similar? This one was maybe 15cm in diameter. Sorry for the blurry picture. That beauty apeared in our very basic rain forest lodge behind our pillows on the wall what we didn’t enjoy too much. A guy from the lodge came and chased the poor thing to a tiny hole in the floor, that didn’t help to much. Guess it scares stupid tourist until today 🙂
How you want your letter signed: Klaus Reichert
Dear Klaus,
You are very observant. This is indeed a Huntsman Spider or Giant Crab Spider in the family Sparassidae, and the Brisbane Insect site has some nice examples from Australia. There are some species, like Heteropoda venatoria, that have spread to many locations on the planet thanks to commerce, especially the shipment of bananas.