Encountering A Giant Spider: A Close Call In Australia

You never know when a giant spider is going to leap out of your ring binder and crawl over your desk. Especially if you’re in Australia. This shocking experience was lived by Debbie Ellwood, who resides in central Queensland. On September 18, while going about her workday, she had an unexpected encounter with one of nature’s more startling creatures.

As she reached for her ring binder creditors folder, an enormous spider suddenly jumped out, racing across her forearm and hand before disappearing behind her stapler. “My heart was beating fast,” Ellwood recounted to Newsweek. While she had never been particularly afraid of spiders, this encounter felt different; the size was unlike anything she’d seen in central Queensland before.

Determined to remove the creature from her workspace without causing it harm, Ellwood contemplated various methods for safely capturing the spider. After clearing her desk, she gently placed a large colander over the spider, slid a laminated calendar underneath for stability, and carefully transported it outside. “She was quite placid. Glad I never hurt her now, but it wasn't easy to be brave,” Ellwood remarked, reflecting on the experience.

Following the encounter, Ellwood shared photos of the massive spider with her family to see if anyone could identify it. Unable to determine what type it was, her niece, Tina Bates, posted the pictures in the Facebook group Australian Spider Identification. With the help of group contributors, the spider was identified as a heavily pregnant jungle huntsman, a member of the Sparassidae family.

Australian huntsman spiders are known for their large size and long legs, with 94 different species identified across the continent. They can often be found hiding under loose tree bark or in wall crevices, but they are also known to wander into homes and vehicles. It's fascinating to note that while spiders typically lay their eggs in an external egg sac, female huntsman spiders are described as “gravid” when they carry fertilized eggs within their bodies.

Bates's Facebook post about the spider went viral, receiving numerous comments and likes, with many users relating to the spider's noticeably gravid abdomen. “I completely relate to the picture of mama trying to squeeze into the gap and her booty saying nope,” one user humorously remarked. Another added, “Thank you for relocating her safely. Poor mama.”