This is a nightmare that looks like it came straight from a horror movie. A couple that was traveling across the island state of Tasmania, Australia captured horrifying photos of a Huntsman spider eating a Pygmy possum in their hotel room.
Justine Latton and her husband were staying over at Mount Field National Park when they witnessed the gigantic Huntsman spider dining on the possum. In a Facebook post she wrote “Possum-eating spider!” above the spine chilling photos. The photos quickly went viral after being posted gathering thousands of shares.
Pygmy possums usually grow up to about 2.5 inches, however the Huntsman spiders leg span can grow up to a jaw-dropping 13 inches!
Australia Museum arachnology expert Graham Milledge told The Guardian the scene was an unusual event in nature.
It would be fairly rare. It’s the first time I’ve seen a pygmy possum as prey. It's more common to see a Huntsman eat small birds, frogs and geckos.
The couple ended up catching the pair and then releasing them back into the wild. The spider was unhurt in the ordeal but there is no word on the condition of the possum.
One Facebook commenter seemed fascinated about the rare event. “If the pygmy was just cold it would be an easy target and the spider may just drink the digestible liquids of the possum.”
Despite the giant size of the Huntsman Spider, they are not fatal to humans, although getting bit by the arachnid will cause sever swelling and horrific pain. They are common all over Australia and have now been accidentally brought to the U.S, Japan, Pakistan, China and India.
They can be identified by their legs which are twisted in a crab-like fashion. The only problem will be catching the Huntsman. They are extremely fast and are known to jump towards whatever is provoking them in a show of threat like the example in the video below.
If the Huntsman spider happens to crawl or jump on to you, it's better to just let them explore until they get bored. They tend to exhibit a “cling” like reflex making it very difficult to shake them off. Shaking your body or arms will be seen as a sign of aggression toward them making it more likely for them to clamp down with their strong fangs.
Huntsman spiders do not spin webs as their prey are much larger than tiny insects. Instead they forage for their food the old fashioned way, by hunting for it. If you have a cockroach problem these spiders can definitely help, although we don't recommend letting these creepy crawlers loose in your house.
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