Huntsman spiders are common in Australia, but one might not expect a close encounter with the ferocious arachnid in close proximity.
This is the case of a Melbourne woman who was shocked when a huntsman spider hiding for months in her car suddenly showed up in the wrong time.
Nath Jennings reportedly said he and his girlfriend, Millie, had known for several months that there was a spider living in her car when she saw it before.
However, the only issue was that she could not find where it went.
Despite of the hiding spider, the car was still used even with the prospect that it could appear any time.
In a viral video that erupted on social media this month, the whereabout of the spider was finally revealed when it showed up while the couple where driving, making it one of the most hair-raising moments in history caught on footage.
Car Spider Viral Video
The 15-second viral 'shorts' video was uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday, June 8, by the channel Pen News.
The clip shows the huntsman spider was clinging on her car's windscreen while mid-journey and Millie was seating on the front passenger seat.
Nath, 24, said aside from Millie.
He was also scared during that moment since they did not intend the spider to drop off the windshield or the other passengers, which include the couple's mates named Jamie and Keith, as cited by the Daily Mirror.
The group was traveling to a chicken shop. Fortunately, the trip was only approximately six minutes and Keith was able to remove the spider as soon as they parked at their destination, Nath added.
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Huntsman Spiders
According to the Australian Museum, huntsman spiders belong the Family Sparassidae¸ formerly known as Heteropodidae, Order Araneae, and Class Arachnida.
In Australia, the museum stated these hairy so-called "tarantulas" or "giant crab spiders" were infamous for lurking from house walls and terrifying its inhabitants.
The Australian huntsman are described as a large, eight long-legged spider species, whose color can range from grey to brown.
In the viral video, the spider is believed to belong to the Brown Huntsman (Heteropoda species).
Other huntsman spider genus and species include the Delena, Isopedella, Holconia, and Neosparassus.
These arachnid species are mostly found living under loose tree barks and small openings of rock walls and logs, the Australian Museum further noted.
Australian Spider Species
Huntsman spiders are venomous but they are reportedly not considered to be lethal.
Nevertheless, the spider's bite can be painful for humans.
While this is the case for the huntsman species, it is not for other Australian spiders.
Australia houses some of Earth's most venomous spiders, whose venom and toxicity can range from moderate to severe, even deadly, according to the training organization Australia Wide First Aid.
In terms of threat level, the organization provides the following list of spiders in Australia where the first is considered to have the highest danger level and the last with the lowest danger level:
- Sydney Funnel-Web Spider
- Funnel-web Spiders
- Redback Spider
- Mouse Spider
- Trap door Spider
- White-tailed Spider
- Australian Tarantula Spider
- Huntsman Spider
- Common Garden Orb Weaver Spider
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