A traumatized tourist shared a scary photo on social media. While walking in a vineyard in Australia, the individual found himself face to face with a nest of giant spiders on a wooden board.
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The culprit
The photos were taken in the Yarra Valley, 55 miles east of Melbourne. The spider in question is known as the huntsman spider, a member of the Sparassiidae family, and it is most commonly found in Australia as well as warmer, more temperate tropical regions of Africa and Asia. These arachnids are known for their intimidating size with their legs spanning to an impressive 30 centimetres when fully extended. Compared to the average tarantula, the huntsman spider is almost three times its size, but thankfully for the unfortunate tourist who stumbled upon this creepy-crawler, it is not nearly as venomous as its hairier cousin.
And if this wasn't scary enough as it was, the most remarkable trait of this type of spider is that it is known for its ability to jump and 'run' at an incredible speed. When feeling threatened, especially when the female is protecting its nest of eggs, it becomes much more aggressive. Reports of attacks on humans are not a rare occurrence when it comes to these spiders.
How dangerous are they really for humans?
As reported by the tourist, no actual harm was done to him and although they can inflict a serious bite on preys and foes, their venom mostly paralyzes the victim. However, you should probably know that symptoms of the huntsman spider bite include: local swelling and pain, nausea, headaches, vomiting, irregular pulse rate and, in more serious cases, it can lead to systemic neurological toxin effects.
So although getting bitten by one of these spiders will probably hurt a lot and the actual experience of encountering one will most likely traumatize you for life, no visit to the hospital is required.
