Question 1

True or false: Despite its name, the Goliath birdeater rarely eats birds in the wild.

Accepted Answer

True. Birds are a rare treat; its main diet includes insects, frogs, rodents, and other invertebrates.

Question 2

True or false: An adult Goliath birdeater can have a leg span as wide as a dinner plate.

Accepted Answer

True. Leg spans can reach up to 11 inches (28 cm), roughly the size of a large dinner plate.

Question 3

True or false: They produce a loud hissing sound by rubbing their legs together when threatened.

Accepted Answer

True. This is called stridulation—they rub bristles on their legs to create a hissing noise as a warning.

Question 4

True or false: The Goliath birdeater can shoot tiny, barbed hairs from its abdomen as a defense.

Accepted Answer

True. It flicks urticating hairs from its abdomen that irritate skin and eyes, a common defense for many tarantulas.

Question 5

True or false: Its venom is potent enough to kill a human with a single bite.

Accepted Answer

False. While painful and containing neurotoxins, its venom is not lethal to humans; it's roughly as potent as a wasp sting.

Question 6

True or false: The Goliath birdeater is the largest spider ever to have lived on Earth.

Accepted Answer

False. It's the largest by mass, but the giant huntsman spider has a larger leg span, and extinct species were bigger.

Question 7

True or false: This tarantula can jump several feet to catch airborne prey.

Accepted Answer

False. They are heavy, ground-dwelling ambush hunters that do not jump; they rely on strength and speed on the ground.

Question 8

True or false: The Goliath birdeater is native only to the rainforests of Brazil.

Accepted Answer

False. Its range includes parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, not just Brazil.

Goliath Birdeater Trivia Questions