I encountered this spider in a restroom in eastern Bali. It was h-u-g-e — its leg span larger than my palm’s width.
I took this photo of it and asked our guide about it. He said, “That is a spider in Bali”. I told him I knew that. Did he know what kind? He told me not to touch it. It’s poisonous. I didn’t bother telling him I’d never touch something that creepy.
A little research shows this was likely a Pantropical Huntsman Spider — almost certainly a female because of the large bulbous abdomen (likely carrying eggs). Their body is about 3 cm (more than 1 inch) long, and they have a leg span which can reach 15 centimeters (6 inches). It’s the main large spider people encounter indoors in Bali, especially in humid places like bathrooms where they hunt insects (they directly catch and eat their prey — no webs involved)
Huntsman spiders would rather flee than attack, but even if they bite it will mostly cause local irritation, sort of like a wasp sting. They aren’t among the more deadly of spiders.
Nonetheless, I still find them creepy.
