WARNING: IF YOU DETEST SPIDERS, I SUGGEST YOU STOP READING NOW AND SAVE YOURSELF THE NIGHTMARES
A non-profit organization by the name of Bush Heritage Australia found an alarming discovery to say the least when they found a thriving huntsman spider colony.
Image via flickr
The conservationists in Western Australia were originally checking in on boxes that they would hope to become a habitat for possums but were met with different guests instead.
Angela Sanders, from Bush Heritage Australia, shared:
“Pygmy possums quickly took up resident in the nest boxes we erected in a restored habitat. What we didn’t expect were the large colonies of social spiders that also moved in. It all started about the same time we were finding pygmy possums in the boxes. But on lifting the lids of some, we found many huntsman spiders of all sizes whizzing around inside.”
Males are able to grow up to almost a foot, leg span wise, but on average they are around 6 inches. Huntsman spiders don’t typically bother with humans but they will bite when acting in defense. They reside in the woods and are drawn to a warm, tropical climate.
Sanders continued:
“They’re a species of huntsman that live together, normally under the bark of trees. In the restored area, tree bark is in short supply at present and they’ve found the wooden boxes suitable.”
If you live in a coastal area of the U.S. — you may want to heed this warning. For the rest of you, count your blessings because your backyard could be filled with a lot worse!