From the move The Giant Spider |
The Congolese Giant Spider is a cryptozoological creature that is said to exist in the Congo, possibly representing a new species of arachnid. It is considered a cryptid and only in recent years has received publicity." said Robert B. Durham.
These Giant Spider are described as having a brownish body similar to that of a tarantula, with a legspan of four to six feet. I hope I never get to see one up close. The claim is that younger Giant Spiders have yellow coloring and it turns brown as it matures. I also don't want to see a young one.
While the idea of a large spider with a legspan of 6 feet may seem very far fetched, there has been a number of sightings.
Many sightings have been reported from Africa, especially in the Congo.
1938: Congo: Reginald and Margurite Lloyd were driving a Ford truck through a trail when they reportedly spotted a spider as large as a monkey. It resembled a tarantula, but had an estimated leg-span of 5 feet. Their daughter, Maurgurite Lloyd, would later relate this story in the 1990s to William Gibbons.
William Gibbons is a researcher who researched the Mokele-Mbembe , which is reported a living dinosaur, in the Congo.
1942: Papua, New Guinea: An Australian soldier at the Kokoda Trail said that he encountered a puppy-sized spider inhabiting a 10 to 15 foot sized web. It was described as being black with a bulky body, as well as hairy like a tarantula.
Now, here is a sighting that I don't like, yeah it's fine to have these killers elsewhere but not in the good ol USA. But at least it was a long time ago.
1948: Leesville, Louisiana, United States: William Slaydon and his grandchildren were walking north on Highway 171 to church when he motioned them to stop. After hearing a rustling in the bushes ahead, a spider described as the size of a washtub emerged and crossed the road. One of the grandchildren later told this story to his own son, Todd Partain, director of the documentary film "Eyes In The Dark: The Sasquatch Experience."
2001: Cameroon: Timbo, chief of the Baka tribe in Cameroon, tells William Gibbons that in November 2000 a J'ba Fofi (Giant Spider) had built a nest near their village.
2011: Amazon: British cinematographer Richard Terry travelled to the Amazon to investigate reports of giant spiders in the June 13th episode of Man v. Monster. At a remote village, he was informed that giant spiders lived in holes deep within the jungle. These spiders measured roughly four feet in diameter.
Now, this next report is much more recent and once again in the United States. Sorry Missouri, I will not be visiting anytime soon.
2013:Missouri: A man named L. Smith spots a giant spider while he was fishing. The j'ba Fofi (Giant Spider) had grabbed his water canteen, then had crawled away very fast. L. Smith said that the incident only lasted a few seconds, and describes what he saw as a large hairy spider with long legs. He also said that it "moved like a spider catching it's prey."
That would be one spot I would never fish at again.
According to Baka natives, these spiders they call J'ba Fofi, build lairs of leaves and spin webs between two trees. They say the giant spiders prey upon birds and other small game. The Baka natives also claim the giant spider is now rare thanks to habitat destruction.
Well, that is one spider that I don't think I will ever try to find. I'll just stick to dumb spider movies where the spider dies in the end.
(source: wikipedia)
Thanks
~Tom~
This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.
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