Goliath Bird Eating Spiders Giant Arachnids

Goliath bird -eating spiders. Giant arachnids. Written by Nathan Grove. Focus question. How do the unique features of a Goliath bird -eating spider help it to survive in the rainforest?

哥利亚食鸟蛛。 巨型蛛形动物。 内森·格罗夫 著。 思考问题。 哥利亚食鸟蛛的独特特征如何帮助它在雨林中生存？

big, hairy, and heavy. It's nighttime in the rainforest. As you walk down the path, you see the biggest spider you've ever seen. This giant spider has eight long hairy legs and fangs that measure 0 .75 inches, two centimeters, about half the size of a person's thumb. Its venom can stop a mouse in its tracks with a single bite. A giant of the spider world, the Goliath bird eater is the heaviest spider in the world. They can weigh up to 6 ounces, 170 grams, about the weight of a large apple.

体型大、绒毛多、分量重。 这是雨林里的一个夜晚。 你沿着小路往前走，看见了你见过的最大的蜘蛛。 这只巨蛛有八条长满绒毛的长腿，毒牙长0.75英寸（约2厘米），差不多有人类大拇指的一半大。 它只需要咬一口，就能让老鼠瞬间动弹不得。 作为蜘蛛界的巨人，哥利亚食鸟蛛是世界上体重最重的蜘蛛。 它们最重可达170克（6盎司），差不多和一个大苹果一样重。

Running into a spider the size of a dinner plate can be scary, but you don't need to worry. These spiders aren't dangerous to humans. They are an important part of the tropical habitats where they live.

撞见餐盘那么大的蜘蛛确实吓人，但你根本不用担心。 这种蜘蛛对人类没有危险。 它们是所居住的热带栖息地的重要组成部分。

eyes, legs, and hair. Goliath bird -eating spiders are the largest of all tarantulas. Tarantulas are a type of big, hairy spider found in many parts of the world. Like many other spiders, Goliaths have eight eyes and eight legs. They also have two main body parts. The front part contains the spider's eyes, mouth, stomach, and brain. The legs are also attached to this part. The part in the back contains the spider's silk -making glands. Goliath tarantulas are covered in coffee -colored hairs. Their long, thick legs have dark brown hairs. The hairs are lighter in color at each joint or knee.

眼睛、腿和绒毛。 哥利亚食鸟蛛是所有捕鸟蛛中体型最大的。 捕鸟蛛是一种大型多毛蜘蛛，在世界很多地区都有分布。 和很多其他蜘蛛一样，哥利亚食鸟蛛长着八只眼睛和八条腿。 它们还有两个主要的躯体部分。 前半部分包含蜘蛛的眼睛、嘴巴、胃和大脑。 腿也连接在这个部分。 后半部分长着蜘蛛的纺丝腺。 哥利亚捕鸟蛛浑身长满咖啡色的绒毛。 它们又长又粗的腿上长着深棕色绒毛。 每个关节也就是膝盖处的绒毛颜色更浅。

Even though they have eight eyes, these giant spiders have poor eyesight. They can tell light from dark, but they can't make out much detail. Instead, they depend on special hairs that cover their body to sense when prey is near. The hairs can feel the slightest vibrations on the ground and in the air. When a mouse or other small prey crawls by, wham, it triggers an attack. The goliath has an extra set of short limbs near the spider's head to hold a victim. These short appendages then help pull the prey toward the goliath's mouth and fangs.

虽然长了八只眼睛，这种巨型蜘蛛的视力却很差。 它们只能分辨亮和暗，却看不清太多细节。 因此它们依靠覆盖全身的特殊绒毛感知猎物靠近。 这些绒毛能感知地面和空气中最细微的震动。 当老鼠或是其他小型猎物爬过时，猛地一下，蜘蛛就发动攻击了。 哥利亚食鸟蛛头部附近还有一组短小附肢，用来按住猎物。 这些短短的附肢再把猎物拉到哥利亚的嘴和毒牙旁边。

Life in the steamy rainforest Goliath spiders live in the hot, humid rainforests of South America. They live in burrows under the ground or in spaces under rocks. Unlike many spiders, they don't spin a web, but they make silk to use in their burrows. Tropical rainforests are hot spots for living things. From bats, butterflies, and birds, to big cats and lush plant life, these habitats are rich with life. Rainforests cover only about 6 or 7 percent of Earth's surface. However, they contain more than half of the plant and animal species in the world.

湿热雨林里的生活 哥利亚蜘蛛生活在南美洲炎热潮湿的雨林中。 它们住在地下洞穴里，或是岩石下方的空隙中。 和很多蜘蛛不同，它们不结网，但会在洞穴里吐丝。 热带雨林是众多生物的家园。 从蝙蝠、蝴蝶、鸟类，到大型猫科动物和繁茂的植物，这些栖息地生机勃勃。 雨林仅占地球表面积的6%到7%左右。 然而，全世界超过一半的动植物物种都生活在雨林中。