Chilling moment massive Huntsman spider eats a POSSUM in terrified couple’s hotel room
THIS is the nightmare moment a giant spider was caught on camera tucking into a POSSUM on the wall of a terrified couple's hotel room.
The spine-chilling images were captured by a shocked husband and wife as they travelled across the island state of Tasmania, Australia.
Justine Latton and her hubby were staying over at Mount Field National Park when they witnessed the enormous Huntsman spider dining on the marsupial.
"Possom-eating spider!" she later above the jaw-dropping images.
Pygmy possums’ bodies generally grow up to 2.5 inches - roughly the same size as a Huntsman's body.
However, the massive creepy crawler’s leg span can grow up to an incredible 13 inches.
Latton’s online post quickly went viral, garnering thousands of shares within a few hours.
Australia Museum arachnology expert Graham Milledge revealed the scene was an unusual event in nature.
What are Huntsman spiders and how big do they get?
Huntsman spiders are renowned for the enormous size, with males able to achieve a leg span of up to 13 inches.
They are sometimes called giant crab spiders or wood spiders because they like to live in woody areas such as forests, sheds, and woodpiles.
Huntsman spiders are members of the Sprassidae of which there are more than 1,000 species.
They live in warm tropical climates across the world in places such as Australasia, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Mediterranean Basin.
They are common in Australia but have been introduced accidentally to parts of the USA, Pakistan, India, China, and Japan.
Adult Huntsman spiders do not build webs but forage for food.
Their diet mainly consists of insects but they are also known to eat small reptiles such as skinks and gekkos.
"It would be fairly rare," "It’s the first time I’ve seen a pygmy possum as prey."
He added it was more common to see a Huntsman eat small birds, frogs and geckos.
Nature geeks were clearly impressed by the startling images.
Robyn Gates wrote: "If the pygmy was just cold it would be an easy target and the spider may just drink the digestible liquids of the possum."
While Julie Southwell suggested the pygmy possum was already dead when the spider found it.
She wrote: "Just sad as the pygmy possums like so many creatures are struggling. I don’t begrudge the Huntsman its meal, he or she needs to survive."
Brendon McIntyre added: "That is a damn big Huntsman and quite death-defying to hang off the wall like this while holding onto dinner."
MOST READ IN NEWS
In January, we showed a chilling clip of another giant Hunstman cooling down by crawling over an icy bottle of beer during Australia's heatwave.
And in October 2016, horrifying footage emerged of one making its way through a household in Australia - clutching a dead mouse.
However, despite their size the monster arachnids are not deadly to humans although their bites can cause nasty pain and swelling.
