Great spider
Template:LEAD The Great Spider refers to alleged enormous arachnid sightings around the world, and most famously in the Congo. In Congo folklore, the creature is called the jba fofi or j'ba fofi (Baka: jba = "great", fofi = "spider") and is also known as the Congolese Giant Spider.
Sightings of enormous spiders have been shown a range in size from that of a small dog to six feet in diameter. Coloration was referred to as ranging from brown (in the case of the Congolese and Zimbabwe sightings) to black (United States, New Guinea).[citation needed]
Accounts
In the 1890s missionary Arthur Simes from England was on an expedition to a village near Lake Nyasa when several of his porters became ensnared by a huge web that had been strung up in the forest. They were then attacked by several large spiders that had a leg span of four feet and were bitten.[1][dubious ]
The next recorded case occurred in 1938 in Zimbabwe.[2]
In 1942 during the Kokoda Track Campaign, an Australian soldier at the Kokoda Trail found webbing estimated to span thirty feet spread over the ground and a nearby tree. He then found an enormous spider less than a foot from him. It was described as being black and having a body that resembled a tarantula, only far larger - the thorax and abdomen equivalent in size to a small dog or puppy. The legs however were noticeably shorter that those of a tarantula, giving it a smaller legs to body ratio.[1]
In 1948 in Leesville, Louisiana William Slaydon and his grandchildren were walking to church, north on Highway 171 to church when he motioned them to stop. After hearing a rustling in the bushes ahead, a massive spider described as "the size of a washtub" emerged and ran across the road, disappearing into brush on the other side.[1]
Timbo Robert informed Williams Gibbons that a Jba Fofi had taken up residence near his camp in Welele in 2003. [2]
A 2008 episode of MonsterQuest talked about monster spiders in the Amazon rain forest.[3]
Hoaxes
In 2015 the photo of a purported 6-foot wide "giant Hawaiian cane spider" was published on Facebook. The image was later proven to be a digital forgery.[4]
Arguments against existence
There is speculation that sightings of spiders are actually misidentifications of coconut crabs, which is the largest terrestrial crab and can grow to over 3 feet. A scientific argument against the existence of such arachnids is the fact that spiders have a simple respiratory system that limits the size that they can achieve, with the Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) representing the highest end of the growth spectrum for an arachnid.[5] Another contrary viewpoint is that a spider's exoskeleton could not support the weight generated by the purported giant arachnids.[6]
See also
- Goliath birdeater, world's largest spider by mass
- Cultural depictions of spiders
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nick Redfern (22 August 2016). The Monster Book: Creatures, Beasts and Fiends of Nature. Visible Ink Press. p. 204. ISBN 9781578596287. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 William J. Gibbons (2010). Mokele-Mbembe Mystery Beast of the Congo Basin. Coachwhip Publications. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-1-61646-010-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Quann, Peg (25 October 2011). "It's spiders' time to shine". Burlington County Times. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ↑ "FACT CHECK: Giant Hawaiian Cane Spider". Snopes.com. 8 February 2013.
- ↑ "Why aren't spiders bigger?". Science World. October 30, 2012.
- ↑ Stuart, Claire (October 2013). "Stories about giant spiders have no legs". The Journal. Martinsburg, West Virginia. Archived from the original on 2017-10-29. Unknown parameter
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External links
- Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey (August 9, 2010). "Fact or Fiction? Giant Spiders in Africa...and USA". English.pravda.ru.
- About Man V Monster Show - National Geographic Channel - UK
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