Here's one of six tarantulas that I'll be releasing in my "Nature's Wonders Spiders of the World v2" set before Halloween. Also. in this image is a Harlequin Poison Dart Frog. He's has nothing to worry about from this tarantula considering he's significantly more poisonous that the spider is. This frog produces histrionicotoxins. This neurotoxin is absorbed from insects in their diet and stored in glands in their skin, so he's definitively off the menu. The Goliath Bird-eater Tarantula is the largest spider in the world by mass (175 g (6.2 oz)) and body length (up to 13 cm (5.1 in)), and second to the Giant Huntsman spider by leg span. A full grown Goliath Bird-eater can have a leg span up to 30 cm (12 in). It is found in the upland rain forest regions of northern South America: Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, northern Brazil, eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela. While the Goliath Bird-eater does occasionally live up to its name, but this tarantula only rarely preys on birds. Mostly, its diet consists primarily of other large arthropods, worms, and amphibians. In the wild, it has been observed feeding on rodents, frogs, toads, lizards, and even snakes. They do not consume their prey in the open; rather, they drag it back to their burrow and begin the digesting process. They do this by liquifying the insides of their prey and proceed to suck it dry. In response to threats, Goliath bird-eaters stridulate by rubbing setae on their pedipalps and legs. Also, when threatened they rub their abdomen with their hind legs and release hairs that are a severe irritant to the skin and mucous membranes. These urticating hairs can be harmful to humans. These hairs can getting into ones’ eyes or on the skin and create painful irritation and inflammation. They have fangs large enough to break the skin of a human, but the venom is relatively harmless and its effects are comparable to those of a wasp's sting. Tarantulas generally bite humans only in self-defense, and most of those bites do not result in envenomation. The Goliath bird-eater is on the menu for humans. It is considered an edible spider and is part of the local cuisine in northeastern South America. It is prepared by removing the urticating hairs and roasting it in banana leaves. The flavor has been described as "shrimp-like".