Among the fastest spider species in the world are giant house spiders, flattie spiders, huntsman spiders, triangle weaving spiders, wolf spiders, slingshot spiders, hobo spiders, camel spiders, and grass spiders.
Officially, the fastest spider species at the moment is the camel spider, which can travel at speeds of up to 16 km/h (10 mph). However, the camel spider is not actually a true spider! They belong to their category which is called Solifugae. So, putting the camel spider aside, the giant house spider would win.
Fastest Spiders in the World
On this list, you’ll find the fastest spiders in the world – note that they’re not ranked in order.
1. Camel Spiders
Even though camel spiders are not true spiders but they belong to the category of Solifugae, they are currently classed as the fastest spider in the Guinness Book of World Records.
It can reach astonishing speeds – the fastest recorded speed for this animal is 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), which is an amazing speed for such a small creature.
However, because it is not a true spider, it is often not considered to be the fastest spider in the world.
2. Flattie Spiders
The flattie spider is not necessarily the fastest in the world in terms of running capacity, but it is one of the fastest-turning spiders out there.
This amazing little spider can turn around in less than a second, which allows it to quickly catch its prey whenever it runs around it.
Its turning capacity comes extremely valuable. This helps the spider catch its prey faster, but it also allows it to spot dangers much quicker than most other spiders. This makes it one of the most speedy spider species in the world.
3. Giant House Spiders
Up until 1987, giant house spiders (Tegenaria Gigantea) were considered to officially be recognized as the fastest spider in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. They are able of running with speeds of up to 1 mile per hour (1.9 km/h), which makes them one of the fastest spider species.
Giant house spiders are known for their slim legs and body, which allows them to run fast. They also have long legs, allowing them to cover large distances in a short amount of time.
They’re also good predators, as they can catch all types of insects in their habitat. They can travel quite fast, so they’re able to outrun most types of prey; however, they still rely on ambushing as their primary tactic for catching prey.
4. Grass Spiders
Even though grass spiders rely heavily on their webs, they’re still one of the faster spider species if they have to run.
They will rarely use their speed though – but if they have to, they have the ability to stretch their legs and outrun almost any animal they are running from.
5. Hobo Spiders
Hobo spiders are also quite fast. Even though they are not as fast as giant house spiders, they can still travel at high speeds.
Hobo spiders have long and slim legs, which allow the spider to turn quickly in all directions. They create funnel webs to catch their prey but are also quite fast if they need to run away from predators or if they catch down their prey.
6. Huntsman Spiders
Huntsman spiders would not be called this if they weren’t good hunters. And they are one of the most effective spider species at hunting down their prey.
They use highly effective tactics for hunting down their prey, as they can ambush their prey easily and deceive to think it is safe. Just as the prey comes out of hiding though, the huntsman spider will strike.
However, it doesn’t always go as swiftly as that. Sometimes, the prey might escape, which forces the huntsman spider to stretch its legs.
Luckily for the spider, it can travel fast – very fast. It is one of the fastest spider species in the world, as it is capable of outrunning most of its favorite types of prey so that it can capture them.
7. Slingshot Spiders
The slingshot spider uses a similar mechanism as the triangle weaving spider to launch itself as quickly as possible to catch its prey.
When it spots prey, the slingshot spider will launch itself with the help of its triangle-shaped web. When it launches itself, it will reach high speeds that are high enough to catch even the fastest animals of prey.
8. Triangle Weaving Spiders
In this article, we’re mostly covering spiders that can travel fast with their legs. However, not all spiders use their legs to cover a lot of ground quickly.
One of the most well-known spiders to travel quickly is the triangle weaving spider.
This spider species uses the energy that is stuck inside its web to catapult itself to capture its prey. This means that as soon as it sees its prey stuck inside the web or lurking just outside it, it will launch itself like a catapult to reach the prey, giving it no chance of survival.
This makes the triangle spider one of the most effective spiders at hunting down prey. They don’t use their legs to hunt their prey, but they will use the kinetic energy of their webs to launch themselves.
9. Wolf Spiders
Wolf spiders are one of the most effective spider species when it comes to hunting their prey. They rely mostly on their instincts to ambush the prey, which gives them an advantage over the prey when they strike.
If the prey happens to slip away, the wolf spider is not afraid to catch the prey. In a foot race, it will outrun most of its animals of prey thanks to its long legs and fast traveling speeds when on foot.
They’re fast runners, as they can run up to 2 feet per second, which gives them a good chance of both catching their prey and escaping potential predators trying to catch it.
Conclusion
There are many different spider species out there. Some rely on their webs for survival, while others will use the brute force of their body, including their speed. In this article, we’ve analyzed the fastest spider species in the world.
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