It's fair to say that spiders, and most other creepy-crawlies in general, get a bad rap. It seems like they really have a bad PR problem. Despite the vital role they perform in the ecosystem; eating all matter of other annoying insects, they're pretty much despised by a large number of people for their terrifying appearance; especially when they see fit to invade our homes and crawl under our beds!
However, this week an Australian man's Facebook post has gone viral. after he shared an eyebrow-raising image of an eight-legged freak on social media.
It was so bizarre-looking that some people actually panicked and assumed that it was some kind of strange new extraterrestrial lifeform!
If you're a real arachnophobe then check out this terrifying footage of a woman finding a spider living inside her ear:William Williamson, who hails from Sydney, Australia, was alarmed by the weird-looking critter he found in his home this week, which had a white and furry appearance, as well as legs that looked like those of a soft-shell crab, and green orbs on its back resembling pieces of cucumber.
The spider was squatting on William's stairs, and William wasn't sure whether or not it was venomous or completely harmless.
Thinking quickly, he took a picture of the creature and posted the snap to a local Facebook group, hoping that some other canny person could identify the species for him. However, the picture provoked some pretty strong reactions among some users in the comments, who had never seen anything like it before.
One person stated: "Time to burn the house down," while another added: "At first glance, I thought this was a piece of sushi."
Luckily for William, the 'Sushi Spider' was quickly identified as Ordgarius magnificus - also known as the Magnificent Spider. These arachnids are indigenous to New South Wales and Queensland and can grow up to 2.5cm (1 inch) in length. However, they are actually completely harmless, and great for pest control, so William had nothing to worry about. Phew!
And for one final fright, check out this 'giant' spider stalking a cop: