Researchers compile what they describe as the most comprehensive database to date of how fast arachnids run, examining the relationship between spider running speed and factors such as leg anatomy, body weight and evolutionary history. The work reports that the fastest species is the jungle huntsman spider (Heteropoda jugulans), which is recorded running at roughly 3.5 metres per second. Multiple outlets say the findings come from testing or analysing running performance across a large sample of spider species, with one report citing 258 species. The study concludes that differences in how spiders are built—particularly leg length and body weight—help explain why some species can run faster than others. One outlet links these speed differences to evolutionary history as well, suggesting that traits affecting locomotion have evolved in ways that influence maximum running speed. Overall, the coverage frames the result as a benchmark for the upper limits of spider sprinting, based on the newly assembled data set and the analysis of anatomical and biological drivers of speed.