Only in Australia! Giant huntsman spider drags mouse in terrifying footage

It’s no secret that Australia has a reputation for being home to many of the world’s most scariest animals. And a video has emerged of a spider that may make your skin crawl if you have a fear of arachnids. 

Queensland tradie Jason Womal originally took to Facebook in 2016 to share a video of a giant huntsman spider dragging a small mouse. Social media has somehow dug up the two-year-old footage and it’s going viral again on social media. More than 24 million people have viewed the original clip. 

In the bizarre 20-second clip, a spider can be seen dragging a seemingly dead mouse across the door of a fridge.

“So I am just about to leave for work about 0030 and me neighbour says ‘You want to see something cool’ and I say ‘Hell yeah’, [SIC]” Jason wrote on Facebook.

People flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the critter, with one user writing: “That’s scary as!”

Another added: “This made my skin crawl.”

A third message added: “And that is why I love and respect spiders. They eat all the pests.”

Australia has 94 known species of huntsman spiders. The large, hairy spiders are not considered dangerous to people and range in size from 1.5 to 12.7 centimetres. 

Read more: Creepy crawly alert: 37 new spider species discovered in Australia

The video comes as scientists recently discovered 37 new species of spiders in Australia. The flurry of new spiders have been hiding away in Queensland’s Cooloola Coast, until recently when a group of citizen scientists searched the national park, the ABC reports.

Thankfully, the creepy crawlies aren’t the stuff of nightmares, but are instead likened to tiny little jewels. 

Speaking to Australia’s national broadcaster, spider expert Robert Whyte said while some of the spiders have frightening names such as the Baalzebub after the god of darkness, they are not deadly.

“None of them are even remotely dangerous. They’re tiny little gorgeous things that jump around on the foliage,” he told the ABC.

Read more: Horrified Coles shopper finds deadly redback spider on broccoli

Living in Australia, people are bound to encounter one or more of these critters at some point, often in unexpected places. Earlier this year, a Queensland grandmother became an unlikely internet hero after taking on two massive pythons that had set up shop in the family barbecue. In the footage, the gran could be seen fearlessly lifting the lid of the barbecue and removing the snakes.

Have you ever seen anything like this? How do you keep spiders out of your house?