The biggest known fossil of a spider was found near Inner Mongolia, China in 2005. It's dated back 165 million years—and is only about an inch in length. Compared to the other spider fossils found, this one is ginormous.
It's also special due to how well it was preserved. Fine volcanic ash kept features like the mouth and hairlike structures on it's legs intact. It was classified as Nephila jurassica and is an ancestor to some of the largest web-weaving spiders today. They weave 5-foot webs and can grow up to 2 inches today, much larger than their fossilized friend. Turns out that thing lurking down in the dark corners of your least visited rooms really are monstrous size in comparison.
