In 1980 paleontologist Mario Hunicken made a startling announcement; he had found the remains of the largest spider to have ever lived. Discovered in the approximately 300 million year old rock of Argentina, this prehistoric arachnid appeared to have a body over a foot in length and a leg span of over 19 inches.24 Mar 2010
How big were spiders in the Jurassic period?
These spiders were about the size of a human hand and lived 165 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic period. The male, Mongolarachne jurassica, and female, Nephila jurassica, were similar in size.13 Jan 2014
What is the biggest spider fossil ever found?
Nephila jurassica
Where is the biggest spider in Australia?
"Megaspider," an enormous funnel-web spider that was recently captured in Australia. The Australian Reptile Park (ARP) in New South Wales is a public zoo that also houses a collection of funnel-web spiders; keepers milk the spiders for their venom, which is then processed to create anti-venom.17 Nov 2021