Giant jumping spiders were first discovered in 1846 and are distinguished by their large size and distinct stripes on the top of their faces along with a black band across their heads.
While they are bigger than any other jumping spider species, they are sometimes confused with the Hyllus diardi species, which is slightly smaller than giant jumping spiders.
They come in various color combinations but can be identified by their black bands across the top of their heads and around their front-facing eyes.
This article provides all the information you need to know about Hyllus giganteus including how big they get, what they eat, where they live, and how they behave – along with other details about these cute spiders.
Giant Jumping Spider | Hyllus giganteus
The Hyllus giganteus – belonging to the genus Hyllus and commonly referred to as the giant jumping spider – is the largest jumping spider in the world and can reach almost an inch in length.
These jumping spiders are very popular among spider hobbyists, pet spider enthusiasts, and breeders. They get their name because of their gigantic size compared to most other jumping spider species.
Description
Giant jumping spiders are similar to other jumping spiders in the way they behave and how they hunt.
They are just much bigger, which makes it a little easier for them to hunt and take down their prey.
They have great eyesight and are intelligent spiders that can execute amazing jumps when hunting and taking down prey.
Colors
Giant jumping spiders have varying color combinations with females and males often displaying different color variations among the species.
Although they can be confused with similar jumping spider species, they can easily be distinguished from other species by the black band that runs across their faces around their front eyes, and around the top of their heads.
Some also have two white lines that run down the sides of their bodies that may appear white or dirty white in color.
Size
As stated earlier in this article, giant jumping spiders are the largest jumping spiders known in the world and get to be close to an inch in size at their biggest.
As with many other spider species, the females of this species tend to get slightly bigger than males as adults.
See the size differences between the male and female spiders below.
| Hyllus giganteus | Adult Male | Adult Female |
| Body Width Range | 18 to 22 (mm) | 18 to 25 (mm) |
| Body Width Average | 19 (mm) | 21 (mm) |
As you can see, giant jumping spiders are much bigger compared to other species.
Many other jumping spider species only get as big as 4 to 10 millimeters.
Giant jumping spiders can grow to a length of 4 to 5 times longer than the smaller jumping spider species.
The biggest jumping spider species found in the United States is the regal jumping spider, which grows to a maximum length between 7 to 22 millimeters.
Giant jumping spiders have a minimum length that is typically around 18 millimeters and can grow up to 25 millimeters, which makes regal jumping spiders appear small next to Hyllus giganteus.
Behavior
Giant jumping spiders are active hunters and effective predators. They pounce on their prey to take them down.
So you would think that they are aggressive spiders, but in reality, they are not aggressive at all – especially when referring to these spiders being aggressive toward humans.
Diet
Since giant jumping spiders are bigger than other jumping spiders, their diet can include a multitude of insects both small and large.
They commonly eat small insects such as cockroaches, flies, mealworms, and smaller spiders but can also take down larger prey such as grasshoppers and moths.
Hunting
Because of their large size, giant jumping spiders have no problem catching small prey and even some prey their size or bigger.
They are excellent jumpers and easily pounce on their prey by sneaking up on them from behind and surprise attacking their prey.
Like other jumping spiders, they actively hunt during the day and stalk their prey before picking the right moment to jump and pounce on their prey.
Mating
Not much is known about the mating habits of giant jumping spiders. It is believed that they have similar mating habits as other jumping spider species.
They don’t sport any spectacular colors in males of the species so it is unclear if the males use their colors for ritual dances during mating.
During mating, males transfer sperm from the tips of their pedipalps into the females. The females will store the sperm until they are ready to lay eggs.
Reproduction
When giant jumping spider females lay their eggs, they do so in a web designed to hold the egg sac until the young spiders are ready to enter the world.
After eggs are produced and placed in the egg sac, the young spiderlings will hatch in about 3 to 4 weeks and start their own journey in the world to start the cycle all over again.
Distribution
Giant jumping spiders are native from Indonesia to Australia.
They are not among the common jumping spiders that are found in the United States but some people do keep them as pets if they are able to find a breeder that keeps this specific species of spiders for sale.
Habitat
You can find giant jumping spiders in open fields, mangrove vegetation, wastelands, and woodlands.
Not much has been observed with this specific species so it is viable to think that they live in habitats similar to other jumping spiders that include gardens, grasslands, exterior building walls, under rocks, and on tree trunks.
Giant jumping spiders appear to thrive in moderate or temperate climates as well as tropical climates.
Lifespan
These spiders have a lifespan that can vary based on many factors but the average lifespan of giant jumping spiders is between 10 to 24 months.
The majority of jumping spiders won’t live past two years regardless of whether they are living in the wild or kept in captivity as pets.
In captivity, their lifespan can be a little longer than spiders in the wild, but their lifespan doesn’t extend by much as pets.
Giant Jumping Spider | Questions
Below are some common questions and answers about giant jumping spiders – Hyllus giganteus.
Do Giant Jumping Spiders Make Good Pets?
If you are thinking about getting a giant jumping spider as a pet, check out some things below you should know before getting one as a pet.
These are some things to consider before deciding to get a giant jumping spider as a pet:
- Their lifespan isn’t very long as they only live 10-24 months
- They tend to not be aggressive spiders
- Although they are the biggest jumping spiders in the world, they are still small and can be excellent beginner-friendly pets
- They require little living space – just enough to jump around and keep active
- They don’t require much care when being kept as pets
- They can be cheaper than other pets, but you can also catch one outdoors for free to keep as a pet – if you happen to live close to this species
- They are not tame but they can be friendlier than other spiders
If you live in the United States, it may be difficult to find this species but if you do find a breeder that sells giant jumping spiders, they will likely cost more than other jumping spider species because they aren’t native to the U.S.
Do Giant Jumping Spiders Bite?
Giant jumping spiders don’t typically bite humans for no reason at all.
Bites to humans almost always occur due to mishandling or not knowing the proper way to deal with the species.
If you try to pick them up or accidentally hurt them by pressing on them, they will try to defend themselves and bite you.
Are Giant Jumping Spiders Poisonous?
While giant jumping spiders can bite humans, they don’t usually do so and are not aggressive toward humans.
But if you do get bitten by one of these spiders, you have a pretty good chance of not having anything to worry about.
Although they are the largest jumping spiders in the world, their venom is not dangerous to humans and doesn’t cause any significant medical issues.
As for being poisonous, you can eat these spiders and not have to worry about getting sick from poison because giant jumping spiders are not poisonous to humans – if that is your thing.
Recap
Thank you for checking out this article about giant jumping spiders.
As you’ve learned, Hyllus giganteus is the largest jumping spider species in the world.
But they are often confused for a similar species of the Hyllus genus – scientifically known as Hyllus diardi and commonly referred to as the heavy jumping spider.
Although they are the largest and may appear intimidating, they are not dangerous to humans.
Their bite does not contain potent venom and won’t cause any serious medical issues in humans unless you have an allergic reaction.
Because of their size, giant jumping spiders are more sought after by breeders and are favored as pets over other jumping spider species.
If you enjoyed this article about giant jumping spiders, check out our “spiders” section to learn more about other jumping spider species.
