The Goliath bird-eater Spider (also called the Goliath Birdeater) (Theraphosa blondi) is an arachnid belonging to the tarantula group, Theraphosidae, and is considered to be the second largest spider in the world (by leg-span; second to the Giant huntsman spider), and they may be the biggest by mass. The spider was named by explorers from the Victorian era, who witnessed one eating a hummingbird.
The colouration is yellowish-brown with several irregularly distributed dark spots on the rear half. The legs have wide dark bands before the first bend. Like all huntsman spiders, the legs of the giant huntsman spider are long compared to the body, and twist forward in a crab-like fashion.
Apart from its size, the H. maxima can be distinguished from other species of Heteropoda (also known as Huntsman spiders) by genital characteristics: On males, the cymbium is much longer than usual, at least three times longer than the tegulum. The female is distinguished by a characteristically shaped epigyneal field with two anterior directed bands, and the course of their internal ducts.
