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Stickalithus
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Name:
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Stickalithos arachne
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Abilities and Weapons:
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limbs, jaws, eyes, venom, size
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Occupation:
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Ambush mesopredator
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Home:
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Skull Island
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First Appearance:
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"The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (from 2005)
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Diet:
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Carnivore (flightless birds, dinosaurs)
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Size:
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Length: 2.4-3.6 meters
Weight Estimated: 55-61 kilograms |
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Status:
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Unknown. Presumably rescued by expeditions.
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The Stickalithus (Stickalithos arachne - "stone-dung spider") is a giant, highly dangerous araneomorph spider from the jungles of Skull Island. It measures 8-12 feet long (2.4-3.6 meters) and is among the largest arachnids and arthropod to have ever lived.
Facts[]
Dwarfing its closest competitor for the title, the stickalithus is the largest arachnid to have ever lived. Although it is mostly legs, this spider is huge by comparison with any other spider species, even the goliath bird-eating spider that previously held the record. A Stickalithus feeds on birds, but these specific birds are as tall as, or taller than, humans, such as Hylaeornis. They are also partial to dinosaurs. A spider that eats dinosaurs; if ever there is a single animal that exemplifies nature’s insanity on Skull Island, the Stickalithus is it.
Scientifically named for the petrified husks of its dry-sucked prey that litter the ground below its roost, the venomous Stickalithus is too large to spin a regular web. It does exude sticky silk, but this is used primarily to create a nursery for its young, rather than a trap for prey. Instead, a Stickalithus relies on its camouflage, hiding among low branches and other foliage where its silhouette is broken and disguised. Typically, the giants will roost over game trails, snatching flightless forest birds and small dinosaurs that pass below.
Stickalithus itself falls prey under the equally giant and predatory Lividuvespa, whose sharp eyesight and paralyzing stinger makes even the largest of spiders helpless against the largest wasp.
Trivia[]
- Like all animals from Skull Island. It is unknown what they faced during the sinking of the island. Given the multiple expeditions, there may be a chance that a few surviving populations was saved off-land to a more stable enclosure.
- Even among the giant arthropods of Skull Island, Stickalithus sticks out like a sore thumb when it comes to even the most liberal terms of accuracy, given that the atmospheric pressure would not be enough to sustain such a large arachnid.
- Large arachnids like Stickalithus should have been completely devoid of venom, as it would have used its large size as a weapon.