sprints across the living room ceiling

Size
Body: 2–3 cm
Lifespan
2–3 years
Diet
Predatory: feeds on insects including cockroaches, flies and moths. Hunts at night using speed rather than webs. Actively pursues prey across walls, ceilings and tree trunks.
Habitat
While they theoretically prefer loose bark of dead trees, they are much more famous for accidental appearances in sun visors of cars, behind hanging picture frames, or scurrying across living room ceiling at speed that defies physics.
Range
Mainly in North Island and northern South Island in homes, gardens and under bark of trees. Most common in warm, coastal regions where conditions are favourable for this Australian native.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
None. This introduced species is established in warm regions of New Zealand. Faces no threats and is often welcomed in homes for pest-control abilities, though large size can be intimidating.
Population
Native to Australia, they have successfully colonised New Zealand, particularly in warmer northern regions. Common in urban areas but often misidentified due to intimidating size.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native huntsman spider, large size but harmless to humans
Conservation Note
Endemic spider; widespread in native forests and not subject to conservation assessment.
Te Ao Māori
The Huntsman has no Māori name. It serves as a modern test of Kiwi backbone. In the absence of many truly dangerous animals, this spider has stepped up to fill the role of the household monster in our contemporary myths. They are the subject of countless viral videos and dramatic retellings. Becoming a rite of passage for new arrivals to the country. A biological gift from across the Tasman that ensures we never get too comfortable in our spider-proof sanctuaries.
The sprinters of the indoor-outdoor flow. A spider that does not build webs. Huntsman spiders are easily distinguished by their impressive leg span and a somewhat unnerving sideways scuttle. Unlike the patient web-spinners, these arachnids are active hunters. Relying on pure athleticism and lightning-fast reflexes to secure a meal. A spider that runs. They do not build webs to catch prey. Instead, they use their flattened bodies to squeeze into tight crevices during the day. Emerging at night to chase down moths, cockroaches and other houseguests that have overstayed their welcome. The breeding process involves the female constructing a large, flat, papery silk egg sac. Which she guards with a level of maternal ferocity that would put a grizzly bear to shame. A spider that mothers its young. She carries this sac under her body or secures it in a safe crevice. Refusing to eat until the spiderlings emerge. Once they hatch, the tiny huntsmen are surprisingly independent. Quickly dispersing to find their own real estate in the shadows of homes and gardens. They are not considered dangerous to humans. Though their sheer size and tendency to teleport across a wall can cause significant heart palpitations for the unprepared. Their presence in New Zealand is a testament to the effectiveness of hitchhiking as a survival strategy. Having arrived via cargo from Australia, they have carved out a niche in man-made environments without significantly harming native biodiversity. They actually serve as a free, non-toxic pest control service. Keeping the local cockroach population in check. The wall is white. The huntsman sits. Legs spread. Brown and flat. The hand reaches for a shoe. The spider scuttles sideways. Impossibly fast. And disappears behind the curtain. It does not want to fight. It wants to eat cockroaches. That is its job. It is good at it.