Arachnophobes beware: the J’ba Fofi is a giant spider cryptid that can reportedly reach up to a 6 – 8 feet leg span. That means it would likely be around 5 feet tall. (Eek!)
A cryptid that stalks the jungles of the Congo, the J’Ba Fofi was first sighted by Western observers in the 1890’s. Supposedly, when near Lake Nyasa, British missionary Arthur John Simes and his men became entangled in the creature’s massive web.
Two J’ba Fofi crawled out and attacked the group, with Simes managing to get away by using his pistol… But not before he was bitten.
Simes reportedly succumbed to his wounds after developing some severe venomous side-effects (swelling, fever, chills, delirium, and unconsciousness). The indigenous people of the Congo claimed to have fended off and hunted the beast in the past.
Apparently, the J’Ba Fofi acts similar to trap-door spiders; they create a sort of trip-wire style web that alerts them when prey are nearby, before chasing their hapless victim into their web (and eventually their fangs).
But the J’Ba Fofi doesn’t settle for measley bug meals like its tiny cousin: they like antelopes, birds and other small game.
It’s said that the J’Ba Fofi had eaten some of the locals as well! However due to the combination of encroaching modern civilization to the jungle and the supposed hunting of the creature, the J’Ba Fofi is few in sightings and few in number.
So rest easy, any arachnophobe that managed to make it to the end. This giant spider won’t get you any time soon.
Featured image from CleanPNG.com, J’Ba Fofi from Cryptidz.Fandom.com and Trap-door spider from WikiMedia Commons. All images on this site are free usage!
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