J'ba Fofi, the Giant Spider
Stories from the Congo rainforest tell of a spider with a body the size of a dog, spinning webs between trees to catch animals.
What was reported
J'ba fofi, 'giant spider', is the name given in the Congo Basin to a spider said to be huge, with legs spanning more than a metre, building webs between trees and over trails to catch birds and small animals. It's said to lay eggs the size of peanuts.
In one story told in the 1930s, a British couple driving through the Belgian Congo said they saw a spider with legs several feet long crossing the track in front of them.
Explanations offered
The largest known spiders, such as the Goliath birdeater of South America, have legs spanning about 30 centimetres, and a spider much bigger couldn't breathe properly. No specimen has ever been found. The story may grow from real large spiders and the fear they inspire.
- When
- Reported in the 20th century
- Where
- Rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Witnesses
- Forest peoples of the Congo Basin, and visitors
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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