Isopeda sp. (genus)

Huntsman Spider at Watson, ACT

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Identification history

Isopeda sp. (genus)	5 Jul 2021	MichaelMulvaney
Isopeda sp. (genus)	22 Oct 2020	BIrdsinCanberra
Isopeda sp. (genus)	20 Oct 2020	KimPullen
Sparassidae (family)	9 Oct 2020	BIrdsinCanberra

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User's notes

I first noticed the legs of this huntsman spider sticking out from under some bark, and they looked big. I think the tree was a box gum so the bark was in a long strip that I could fold away to the side without destroying the spider’s hiding spot. The spider was very calm, not reacting to all the camera flashes nor scampering off when I disturbed the bark. The spider was probably at least a good 12 centimetres across in the first photograph. The comparative size of the sugar ant gives a good indication of how big the spider was. The spider may have been eating the sugar ant, because that insect was not visible when I initially photographed the spider. When I finished taking photographs of spider I made sure to fold the bark back gently to the original position to cover the spider back up. I do not think that I had disturbed her because she was still under the bark, with her legs just showing, when I returned past the tree a little later.