It soon transpired that Google had got it right. Heteropoda venatoria, sometimes called the pantropical huntsman spider, can have a leg span of up to five inches when fully grown. But this ...

is the biggest spider in the world, with a leg span reaching up to 12 inches (31 cm). The giant huntsman spider, found in Laos, holds the record for the largest leg span at around 12 inches. It ...