yellow garden spider size comapred with other spiders1

Trapdoor Spider Size Explained & Compared With Other Spiders

Last Updated on April 10, 2023 by Amin Tawar

Trapdoor Spider Length

Trapdoor Spider Size

Brown spiders with 4-6 hairless spots on top of the abdomen and a strongly arched, glossy carapace are known as sigillate trapdoor spiders. 

In addition, the medium-sized mygalomorph spiders known as trapdoor spiders build soil-based trapdoors that resemble corks in their burrows. 

For instance, the California Trapdoor Spider builds and resides in a vertical hollow tube that is up to about ¾ inches wide and 8 inches deep and is lined with silk.

Talking about the size of the Trapdoor spider in terms of its height, the body length of an adult varies from about 0.4 to 1.5 inches (1 to 4 centimeters). 

However, the average length of the Trapdoor spider is about 1.5-inch (4 cm) long, hairy trapdoor spiders are a type of tropical spider that builds their nest underground. Moreover, if we look at the size of the legs of these spiders, then the Trapdoor spider has a maximum leg span of 6.3 cm (almost 2.5 inches).

Trapdoor Spider Centimeter Inches 
Body length4 cm1.5-inch
Leg span 6.3 cm  2.5-inch

Trapdoor Spider Weight

The other parameter that we can use to define and compare the size of the Trapdoor spider is its distinct weight. 

Trapdoor spiders constantly eat bugs that they catch outside of their burrows to gain weight. 

They expand to a mouse-sized size. A big mom can measure two inches in length and weigh an ounce from front fangs to rear. 

A trapdoor spider weighs between 0.0624 and 0.28 lbs, or 130 grams ( 0.028349-0.13 kg). However, some spiders can get even larger in size. 

Trapdoor SpiderOunces Grams 
Weight 4.58 ounces130 grams

Trapdoor Spider Max Size

The size of the Trapdoor spiders varies from one to the other. This could be due to several reasons. Just like humans with different heights and weights, you can find Trapdoor spiders of different heights and weights.

The average length of a trapdoor spider is about 1-2 inches, but they can grow as long as 2.5 inches, which is the maximum length that they can reach. 

Trapdoor Spider Size Comparison To Human Hands

Trapdoor Spider Size compared with human hand

Now that we know about the size of the Trapdoor spider, it is always helpful to have an idea of how it would look or differ in terms of size when placed in front of other species, such as humans. 

Even if we compare the size of our hands and the overall size of the spiders, they are quite small, and would not even occupy our entire hand space. 

Trapdoor Spider Vs Funnel Web Size Comparison

Trapdoor Spider Size compared with other spiders

Moving on, Trapdoor spiders look very different from shiny brown-black funnel-web spiders, which are frequently confused with them because of their similar size. 

The Brown Trapdoor Spiders in particular are frequently mistaken for Funnel-web spiders, but their bites are not harmful. 

That is why the trapdoor spider’s venom only causes mild symptoms in humans and why the funnel web spider is thought to be the deadliest spider in Australia.

Talking about the Funnel-web spiders, A sizable, black, aggressive spider with sizable, potent fangs is known as the Sydney funnel web. It inhabits caves or cracks in rocks.

Funnel-web spiders range in size from medium to large and have a dark coloring that ranges from black to brown. 

While the Funnel-web spider is 1.37 inches long in length and has a leg span of 4.92 in, the Trap Door is slightly larger in both length and leg span. 

That is the length of the Trapdoor spider is about 1.5 inches while its leg span is 5 inches. 

Spider type Body lengthLeg span Weight 
Trapdoor spider 1.5-inch2.5-inch4.58 ounces (130-gram)
Funnel-Web Spider1.37 in4.92 in 

Trapdoor Spider Vs Tarantula Size Comparison 

The legs of a trapdoor spider are shiny rather than hairy, giving it the appearance of a small tarantula. The tarantula, on the other hand, is larger and stronger as a result of its larger size when compared to the trapdoor spider.

The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is the largest of all tarantulas, which are among the largest spiders in the world. 

Brown tarantulas have large, heavy bodies and can have leg spans of over 4 inches. A tarantula’s adult weight can reach 3 oz. The Goliath can reach a maximum size of 11 inches in length, a 12-inch leg span, and a weight of 6 ounces. 

In front of the giant tarantula, the Trapdoor spider would look as tiny as a stone in front of a large rock. The Tarantula has almost double the length of the leg span and is almost 10 times larger in overall body length. And is also much heavier. 

Spider type Body lengthLeg span Weight 
Trapdoor spider 1.5-inch2.5-inch4.58562 ounces 
Goliath Bird Eating Tarantula11 inches 12 inches 6-ounce 

Trapdoor Spider Vs Wolf Spider Size Comparison

Lastly, we will compare the well-known wolf spider with the Trapdoor spider. Wolf spiders move much more quickly than other types of spiders, to start with. 

The vast majority of this family’s tens of thousands of species hunt and pounce on their prey rather than spin webs to catch them. 

They can live in leaf litter or underground burrows and are fierce hunters with quick reflexes. In terms of size and mass, the wolf spider family is sizable.

In terms of size, and specifically their height and weight, the wolf spider is smaller than the Trapdoor spider. 

This is because, as you can see from the chart below, the Wolf spider is only 0.4-1.38 inches long and weighs less than an ounce. 

Whereas, the Trapdoor spider has a length of more than 1 inch and a weight of more than 4 ounces. Even its leg span is larger than that of the wolf spider.

Spider type Body lengthLeg span Weight 
Trapdoor spider 1.5-inch2.5-inch4.58562 ounce 
Wolf spider 0.4-1.38 inch 2-3 inch less than an ounce

Conclusion

And that was everything you need to know about the size of the Trapdoor spider. I hope this article was helpful and you got something valuable from it.

Thank You For Reading!

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