The Enormous Angolan Witch Spider: How Big Is Too Big?

The Angolan Witch Spider is a hoax. The image that went viral was created by artist Paul Santa Maria, who edited a photo of a wolf spider outside his Florida home to appear as though it was the size of a house. The largest spiders in the world are only about as big as an adult human's hand, with a leg span of 12 inches.

The Angolan witch spider is a hoax

Within hours, the image had gone viral, and the internet had given the spider a new, more alarming caption:

> It's a new Spider called the Angolan Witch Spider. They migrated from South America. They primarily eat dogs and cats. In Texas, this abnormally large spider was found on the side of this home. It took several gunshots to kill it.

However, spiders do not get this large. The largest spiders in the world are only about as big as an adult human's hand, with a leg span of no more than 12 inches. The "Angolan Witch Spider" is a creative name, but there is no such species in reality.

The image has now been reposted hundreds of thousands of times, thrusting "an icy shard of terror into the hearts of arachnophobics the world over." Despite being proven fake, it continues to be one of the most searched subjects on the internet.

The spider was created by artist Paul Santa Maria

Santa Maria removed the photo from Facebook after about nine hours, but not before it had been shared and downloaded by others. It soon went viral, with internet users supplying new, alarming captions. One such caption read: "It's a new spider called the Angolan Witch Spider. They migrated from South America. They primarily eat dogs and cats. In Texas, this abnormally large spider was found on the side of this home. It took several gunshots to kill it."

The image has been debunked by fact-checking websites like Snopes and Hoax Slayer, but it continues to circulate and frighten thousands of people. Even the largest spider species in the world don't come close to the size of the spider in Santa Maria's photo. They generally don't exceed 12 inches in diameter and typically fit into the palm of an adult male's hand.

Santa Maria has expressed that he did not intend to seek attention or freak people out with his Photoshop creation. He is an accomplished artist and musician, with a website showcasing his artwork and music. He teaches music theory, guitar, and bass guitar at Guitar Haven in Melbourne, Florida, and has recorded with jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell.

The image went viral on Facebook

The image of the Angolan Witch Spider went viral on Facebook in 2011 after artist Paul Santa Maria created it in Photoshop as a joke, using a photo of a wolf spider he had just taken outside his Florida house. He posted it on Facebook with the caption, "Sure You Want to Move to Florida?"

Within hours, the image had gone viral. Someone else on the internet shared the image with an embellished description:

> It's a new spider called the Angolan Witch Spider. They migrated from South America. They primarily eat dogs and cats. In Texas, this abnormally large spider was found on the side of this home. It took several gunshots to kill it.

Santa Maria had not included this caption with his original post, and there is no such thing as an Angolan Witch Spider. The image is a hoax, created through digital manipulation. Even the largest spiders in the world are only about as big as an adult human's hand.

The largest spiders are only about as big as a human hand

It is a common misconception that some spiders can grow to be as big as a human hand. This idea was popularized by a viral hoax image of the "Angolan Witch Spider" that circulated on Facebook in 2011. The image was created by artist Paul Santa Maria, who edited a photo of a normal-sized wolf spider to make it appear abnormally large.

In reality, even the largest spider species have a leg span of no more than about 12 inches and can generally fit into the palm of an adult human male's hand. While spiders can be intimidating and some species can grow to impressive sizes, it is important to remember that they do not pose a significant threat to humans and are an important part of the ecosystem.

The hoax image of the Angolan Witch Spider depicts the spider as being approximately half the size of a house, with a leg span far exceeding that of any real spider species. The image was created using digital editing software, specifically Photoshop, and was originally posted by Santa Maria on his Facebook page as a joke. However, it was quickly shared and reposted by others who believed it to be a real photograph.

The largest known spider species in terms of leg span is the giant huntsman spider, which has a leg span of up to 12 inches. This spider was discovered in Laos in 2001 and is a cave-dweller. The Goliath birdeater tarantula is another large spider species, reaching up to 11 inches across and possessing inch-long fangs. This spider was first observed in the 1700s in Suriname and is native to South American upland rainforests. Despite its name, it rarely preys on birds.

While the idea of a spider as large as a human hand may be frightening, it is important to remember that even the largest spiders are relatively small in comparison. Spiders play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to control insect populations and providing food for other animals. Additionally, most spiders are not harmful to humans and will only bite when threatened.

The Goliath birdeater tarantula is one of the world's biggest spiders

The spider is native to South America and lives in upland rainforests. It is one of the world's heaviest spiders and is about the size of an adult human hand.

The Goliath birdeater tarantula is so named because of an illustration from the early 1700s by pioneering naturalist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian, who saw the spider in Suriname. The illustration depicted the spider eating a hummingbird.

Another contender for the title of the world's biggest spider is the giant huntsman, which has a leg span of 12 inches. It was discovered in 2001 and is a cave-dweller native to Laos.

While spiders like the Goliath birdeater tarantula and the giant huntsman are large, they are not as big as the "Angolan witch spider" depicted in a viral image created by artist Paul Santa Maria. The image, which was shared on Facebook, is a digital fabrication, combining a photo of a normal-sized spider with a picture of a house wall.

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