Were you ever walking along the Maltese countryside and spotted a massive spider? Chances are that spider was the Argiope lobata, also known as the largest spider found in the Maltese Islands.

Locally known as the Brimba kbira tal-widien, the spider is mostly found in Malta and Gozo’s valleys.

The females of this species of spider can have legs that stretch up to 40mm and bodies that are as long as 25mm.

On the other hand, the males can only grow up to 7mm, even though they still look a lot like the females. Nonetheless, their abdomen does not have the lobes that are usually found on the female.

Their venom although toxic to small insects, is not at all harmful to humans.

Apart from Malta, this kind of spider is also commonly found in most countries in Africa, southern Europe and even some parts of Asia.