Listen to the article: Audio text automatically generated by an automated system

0:00

2 minutes to read

If you are among those who fear or have arachnophobia, a new study may increase your anxiety.

In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers revealed the fastest spiders in the world after comparing the speeds of 258 different species, finding that the fastest can catch up to a walking human.

The research team relied on laboratory experiments, during which they filmed spider movements using high-speed cameras and measured the distance they covered on a surface divided into squares, aiming to accurately determine the speed of each species, according to ScienceAlert.

Fastest spider in the world

Topping the list is a species of Huntsman spider from the genus Heteropoda, which lives in the Australian state of Queensland. Its speed reached about 3.6 meters per second, or just over 13 kilometers per hour.

This speed clearly exceeds the average human walking speed and is close to a light jog for many people.

Not only speed

The study's goal was not just to identify the fastest spider; researchers also sought to understand the factors that make some spiders faster than others and how their evolution over millions of years affected their running ability.

The results showed that spiders with longer legs relative to their body size performed better in sprinting, while leg thinness or movement style on different surfaces had no significant impact on speed.

What about the previous record holder?

Although the Moroccan flic-flac spider was previously known as the fastest, its fame came from its unique escape style, performing somersault or cartwheel-like movements, not from traditional running speed.

Moreover, its average speed is about 1.7 meters per second, far less than the speed recorded by the Huntsman spider in the new study.

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 1:54

Loaded: 3.50%

Remaining Time 1:54

After comparing the speeds of different species across the evolutionary tree, it was found that spiders that hunt their prey on the ground were the fastest relative to their size, which is likely linked to their lifestyle of actively chasing prey.

The researchers also noted that more recently evolved species showed greater variation in speeds compared to older species.

The researchers emphasize that the study represents the most comprehensive documentation of spider speeds to date and helps understand the relationship between body structure, evolutionary history, and locomotor abilities of these creatures. Its results may contribute to explaining movement mechanisms in arthropods and other animals.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Read also

"Cockroaches" hide a secret millions of years old that may give them "special advantages" Science

In pictures: A 400-year-old painting reveals "strange behavior" of bats that scientists could only prove months ago Science