L'araignée australienne à la patte poilue est peut-être la plus rapide du monde.

A new study suggests that the brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda jugulans, may hold the title of the fastest spider in the world. Researchers from the United Kingdom and Germany analyzed over 250 spider species, including specimens from Australia, North America, southern Europe, and northern Germany. Their findings indicate that the brown huntsman can achieve a peak speed of 3.59 metres per second, equivalent to approximately 13 kilometres per hour or 8 miles per hour, which surpasses the previous record held by the Moroccan flic-flac spider, which reaches a maximum speed of 1.7 metres per second. The research team used high-speed cameras and gridded paper as a measuring tool to assess the movement of each spider. They also incorporated existing studies into their analysis, including work led by Dr. Christofer Clemente, an evolutionary biomechanist at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Clemente's earlier research, published in 2021, focused on understanding how spiders move, particularly the mechanics behind their locomotion. He noted that his initial sample consisted of spiders he encountered in his backyard, often during evening walks with a flashlight. These included common local species, which he observed moving across grassy areas. Clemente explained that spiders move differently from most animals. Instead of relying solely on muscle power, they combine muscular contractions with hydraulic pressure to extend their limbs. This method allows for rapid movement but differs significantly from the locomotion strategies of mammals or birds. His interest lies in understanding how varying body sizes and structures influence speed, especially in relation to the limitations imposed by musculature. The brown huntsman, native to the eastern coast of Australia, is commonly found in homes throughout southeast Queensland. It measures roughly the size of a human hand and possesses distinctive hairy legs. Although it is venomous, it rarely bites humans, and when it does, the effects are typically mild. The spider's peak speed of 3.59 metres per second was recorded for a brief moment, with an average sustained speed of around 2 metres per second. Clemente described this as still being remarkably fast. In terms of body structure, Clemente suggested that the huntsman may represent an optimal balance for speed. He pointed out that while larger spiders might seem advantageous, they face challenges related to supporting greater mass. The study revealed that there is a threshold in body mass beyond which running speed decreases due to physiological and structural constraints. Dr. Jonas Wolff, a researcher from the University of Greifswald in Germany and one of the lead authors of the study, emphasized that this research represents the most comprehensive comparative analysis of spider running speed to date. The findings suggest that speed in spiders is not directly correlated with size or web-building behavior. Spiders that capture prey through webs were found to be just as agile as active hunters like the huntsman. Wolff acknowledged that while the brown huntsman currently holds the highest recorded speed, there may exist other huntsman species that have not yet been tested. Therefore, the title of the fastest spider in the world remains open to further investigation.