No That’s Not A Halloween Prop That’s A Spider The Size Of A Puppy [VIDEO]

Take a look at this beauty.  This is the South American Goliath birdeater, the world's largest spider.  Cute isn't it?  Piotr Naskrecki, an entomologist and photographer at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology came across this beast in a rainforest in Guyana.

No need to worry about those two inch fangs, the spiders bite is venomous, but not deadly to humans.  It will hurt like hell if it bites you, but you won't die.  Hairy little thing too, huh?  Those hairs are actually a defense mechanism.  They contain little barbs on them, so when something gets close the spider can send the hairs into the air and they stick in your eyes.  Lovely.

Look, the fangs and the hairs are creepy enough, but I think the most gut wrenching feature of this spider is the hardened tips and claws on its feet that make a 'clicking' sound when it walks.  Think tapping your finger nails on a table.  Eerie, right.  Well, thankfully these spiders are rare and don't live in New England.  Happy Halloween!