What has eight legs and is really big and scary? No, it’s not four Frankensteins, it’s a huntsman spider from Australia.
A lady there found the awful arachnid crawling on a broom on an animal rescue farm in Queensland’s Brisbane Valley. She snapped a picture of it last October, which was recently reposted on Facebook to the shock and horror of all who saw it.
Comments ranged from “horrible” and “demon spawn” to “don’t touch it” and “keep it over there.” The spider, named Charlotte, definitely lacks attractive qualities.
Its body appears to be about the size of a large man’s hand, and, including its creepy crooked legs, it looks to be about the diameter of a big serving platter. It’s a sort of ghastly gray with huge bluish eyes (it actually has eight).
Huntsman spiders vary in size; however, this one is said to be unusually large for the species.
Huntsman spiders are common in Australia and other warm regions. They’re called huntsman because they hunt for food instead of building webs. These spiders are mildly poisonous, although not to healthy adults.
They are aggressive, though, and will cling to humans and bite them.
They also like to crawl under car hoods and come out of the dashboard, giving drivers a serious fright and causing one man to drive into a lake. Before you go anywhere in Australia, be sure to check under the hood!
