There are now three new species in the World of Bugs exhibit at Melbourne Zoo: they're all tarantulas, and they're all among the world's largest spider species.

The Goliath Tarantula is the largest spider in the world! Adults have a legspan of up to 30cm and may weigh more than 120g. This species is native to Surinam, Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.

The Salmon Pink-toed Tarantula is also from Brazil. It is the world's third-largest spider species, and also one of the fastest-growing spiders, with a legspan of up to 27cm.

The King Baboon Tarantula is native to East Africa. Its legspan of up to 23cm makes it the second-largest tarantula species in Africa.

The Zoo's invertebrate specialist, Patrick Honan, worked closely with AQIS to ensure that all quarantine requirements were met so this important animal shipment could be carried out successfully.

Quarantine entomologist Adam Broadley says ‘These tarantulas are exotic giants of the spider world, and AQIS is working closely with Melbourne Zoo to ensure these animals don't pose a risk to our native fauna and the environment.

‘We do this by ensuring that only female spiders are imported so they are unable to breed, and they are kept in a secure escape-proof tarantula house. We also perform regular health checks to verify that the animals are free from any exotic parasites or diseases that could harm our native arachnids.'

Patrick says ‘We think these spiders are fabulous, but we know that many people have a fear of spiders, and that tarantulas are a sort of "public enemy #1" for those people. We hope that having a chance to see them will help people to see how magnificent they are and that they're not aggressive. They're in fact very reluctant to bite.'

Melbourne Zoo has recently begun to offer seminars for people who suffer from arachnaphobia. Find out more about the program - Spiders and You.