# Biggest spider in my area?  (Nashville, TN, USA)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 8, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827 "2017-09-08T17:54:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/1 "2017-09-08T17:54:52Z")

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I know that, outside the zoo and exotic pet stores, there are no tarantula-size arachnids in my area – Nashville, Tennessee. What is the biggest spider species native to the area? (Don’t need answer fast.)

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/2 "2017-09-08T18:14:01Z")

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As a guess, I’d say one of the Wolf spiders (the largest wolf spider, Hogna carolinensis, is found in Tennessee), or possibly an Orb Weaver.

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**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/3 "2017-09-08T18:42:39Z")

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Wolf spiders get my vote too, although when I lived not too far southwest of Nashville in Arkansas, we had some pretty healthy Tarantulas running around. Perhaps the fringe of their range may extend up your way.  
BTW, the proper pronunciation of “Wolf” (spider) 'round here is: _wuf_.

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/4 "2017-09-09T09:26:26Z")

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I was a little kid in Nashville from 1967-71. The biggest one I recall seeing was the [Daddy Longlegs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae).

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/5 "2017-09-09T12:01:42Z")

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[Writing Spiders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia) may be a little bigger than that wolf. Do you have those in Tennessee?

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-spider-in-my-area-nashville-tn-usa/795827/6 "2017-09-10T10:44:52Z")

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We’ve found a female dark fishing spider with a leg span of 97 mm here in Maryland. These are sure to clear out a bedroom if they turn up in the middle of the night.