Giant House Spider
Eratigena duellica
This species once held the Guinness World Record for spider speed, clocked running at over 1.7 feet per second to escape threats.
- Scientific name
- Eratigena duellica
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Arachnida › Araneae › Agelenidae › Eratigena
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Houses, basements, sheds, garages, rock crevices, and temperate forest floors.
- Diet
- Insects, flies, earwigs, beetles, and other spiders.
- Range
- Europe, North America, Northern Asia
- Size
- Leg span up to 7.5 cm (3 inches); body length 1.2 to 1.8 cm.
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 years
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Chemical pesticides, domestic predators like cats, and human persecution.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and highly beneficial. If encountered indoors, do not panic. Keep a safe distance of a few inches. To relocate, gently trap the spider under an upside-down glass, slide a stiff piece of paper underneath, and release it outside in a shed or garden. If bitten (which is extremely rare and only occurs if squeezed), wash the area with soap and water; seek medical help only if signs of an allergic reaction develop.
Eratigena duellica , the giant house spider, is a species of funnel weaver in the spider family Agelenidae. It is found in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The related species Eratigena atrica is also called the Giant house spider.
Photo: Jared Shorma, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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