The ultimate lovely legs competition: the world's nine most beautiful spiders

This burrow-dwelling, blue-legged tarantula is turning heads – and there are plenty of other charismatic eight-legged friends out there

In case you missed the news in the latest journal of the British Tarantula Society, a rather lovely new spider with iridescent, electric-blue legs has been discovered. The burrow-dwelling spider [Birupes simoroxigorum] has reportedly been “feted by experts as one of the most beautiful spiders ever documented”, prompting the question: what are the other most beautiful spiders ever documented?

We asked Matthew Robertson, senior keeper of invertebrates at ZSL London Zoo, who gave the caveat: “The beauty isn’t the side that we tend to come at it from here, although it’s always an advantage if an animal is highly charismatic.”

Peacock parachute spider

This large (about 20cm across) tarantula [Poecilotheria metallica], is named after its purply-blue, metallic legs and its habit of jumping down from trees. It is a common misconception that large spiders are not typically venomous, says Robertson; this one “can deliver quite a painful bite as it parachutes on to the top of your head,” says Robertson. “Luckily,” he adds – “well, not luckily” – it is extremely rare, and found only in a small area of India.

Peacock jumping spider

Peacock jumping spiders are extraordinarily colourful, with the additional draw – particularly compared with the peacock parachute spider – of being only a couple of millimetres long. According to the experts, jumping spiders behave much like dogs or cats. “The bottom line is, you can’t beat them,” says Robertson. “It’s not only the beautiful colours; it’s what they do with them. They are very, very charismatic – even rather cute.”

Mirror or sequinned spider

Robert Whyte, an Australian spider expert, first caught sight of this tiny spider when its sparkly abdomen caught the light like a discoball. The silvery sheen is made of guanine, a digestive by-product. “Instead of excreting it all out into the environment through their poo, some of it excretes out onto the surface of the gut,” Whyte told Australian Geographic. It does, however, look very pretty. The mirror spider is as minute as a peacock jumping spider, but is said to lack its “onscreen presence”.

Brazilian wandering spider

Wandering by name, wandering by nature: in 2014 one of these reportedly emerged from a south London family’s Waitrose delivery. Not only is it venomous, with about a 15cm (6in) leg span, it is also known to be aggressive, standing its ground where other species might flee from danger. But as Dave Clarke, ZSL London Zoo’s head of invertebrates, argued at the time: “It is actually a very beautiful spider.”

Red-legged golden-orb-weaver spider

This spider – found in South Africa, Madagascar and elsewhere around the Indian Ocean – is not just four pairs of pretty legs. Like others in the Nephilinae subfamily, it is known for its webs of impressive structural stability, strong enough to entrap birds and even bats. The web also glows gold in the sun, hence the name.

Wasp spider

This very large, very colourful spider resembles a wasp in order to protect itself from predators, although it is not dangerous itself. Its commitment to the aesthetic extends to its web, which has a wide, white zig-zag strip running down the middle for no clear functional purpose. It also reflects UV light, suggesting it may be to attract moths, says Robertson, although “every week somebody comes up with a new explanation for it, or regurgitates an old one”. The species has become more common in the south of England since arriving in the UK from the continent.

Crab spider

The crab spider is less lovely to look at than a dolphin or horse, but more lovely than its name might lead you to expect. (List of the most beautiful crabs forthcoming.) Instead of spinning a web, it conceals itself within flowers to ambush its prey, changing its appearance to match. “If they live on yellow flowers, they tend to be yellow,” explains Robertson. “They sit there waiting for some poor unfortunate bee to come along, then they nab them. It’s quite grim.” For sheer range of hues, he adds, “you can’t beat crab spiders”.

Desertas wolf spider

This, otherwise known as Hogna ingens, is Robertson’s current favourite spider. It is not colourful, “but it has beautiful white and grey speckles,” he says. “They are actually very pretty when you get to know them. There’s all these flashy looks, but they tell you nothing about their personality.” Which is? “Vicious and aggressive.” He recaptures his train of thought. “Dappled! That’s the word I use.”

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJ2eq7azu82mnKesX6i1sL7TnKytq19nfXKFjqaYq2dga3y1tMRmrKWsmaKutbGMpaavnZyueq2xxqxknKedpbK1tdOipqdlpJ2ybsPOq6Odq12jtq%2BxjKamrKxdl7KiwdOina6kXai9qrDEq6o%3D