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"It's as if the spiders are taking advantage of these conditions and are having a kind of a party. They mate, they reproduce and provide a whole new generation... "The spiders will have their party and will soon die."

Sometimes you might find a stray bug or worm in your produce, but a dangerous black widow spider? Believe it. That was the case for Jacob Vaughn, who bought a bunch of fresh broccoli at Kroger in Maumee, only to find a large arachnid alive and acting feisty on the vegetables. The South Toledo man said he discovered the spider while washing off the broccoli before cooking it when "the spider came out and started waving his hands. It was pretty obvious he was alive since he was throwing his hands in every direction. He did not seem pleased." Vaughn...

The world’s oldest known spider has died at the age of 43, outliving its nearest rival by 15 years, Australian scientists have reported. Affectionately known as “Number 16”, the female Giaus Villosus or trapdoor spider had been under observation in the wild since its birth in 1974. The arachnid is believed to have survived for so long by sticking to one protected burrow its entire life and expending the minimum of energy.

The Cretaceous arachnid Chimerarachne yingi was found trapped in amber after 100 million years. Credit: University of Kansas ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ An extraordinary new species of arachnid, resembling a spider with a tail, has been discovered in amber from Myanmar (formerly Burma), of mid-Cretaceous age, around 100 million years ago. The finding is described in a paper appearing Monday in Nature Ecology & Evolution by an international team including Paul Selden of the Paleontological Institute and Department of Geology at the University of Kansas and colleagues from China, Germany, Virginia and the United Kingdom. "There's been a lot of amber being produced...

A woman washing the dishes was shocked to see a huge huntsman cleaning its fangs on her windowsill. Kate Black spotted the incredible sight at her home in Nowra, New South Wales, late on Friday night. Ms Black told Daily Mail Australia she was doing the dishes and about to head off to bed when she saw the fearsome spider.

A spider not seen in the UK for about 50 years has been discovered at a National Trust site in Nottinghamshire. The diamond spider, so-called due to its markings, was presumed extinct, but was found by two trust volunteers on heath land at Clumber Park, Worksop. The spider, 7mm (0.2 inch), has only been recorded three times, all in the south of England, and not since 1969. Lucy Stockton, who made the discovery, said she was "thrilled" by the find and that the species still existed. Ms Stockton and a fellow National Trust volunteer were taking part in a ecological...

The fearsome arachnid – nicknamed Aragog – was snapped by Lauren Ansell in Queensland, Australia. Laura and her partner could not access their barbecue as the huge huntsman spider was blocking the back door. She said it reacted badly when they tried to move it from the glass on Sunday night. Laura said: “(The spider) was preventing us from using our barbecue. “We made it unhappy as we tried to move it so we could cook. “My boyfriend tried to squish it in the door but the spider was smart. “The door only claimed two of its legs and it...

A family have been left terrified after fearing one the world's deadliest spiders has taken residence in their home after entering Britain in a bunch of bananas. Michaela Egan, 24, from Rainham, Essex, noticed a suspicious white spider cocoon on a bunch she bought had from her local Tesco four days earlier and took a picture of it. She posted the image on her Facebook page and friends suggested it could be a Brazilian wandering spider, whose venom gives male victims a painful four-hour erection before killing them. The mother-of-two immediately put it in a sealed bag and returned it...

An enormous spider has given a couple an almighty fright as it appeared on their glass door as they were trying to cook food. Lauren Ansell from Mount Coolum in Queensland posted a photo of a monster huntsman spider nicknamed 'Aragog' that appeared on the outside of the window where her partner was attempting to cook dinner. Ms Ansell said the spider appeared harmless, but did not take kindly after the pair attempted to move it from the glass.

Known for eating other spiders, Portia is a genus of the jumping spider that is able to leap up to 50 times her own body length. Captured by stunning close up footage, we get to witness this amazing spider use its super powers to dine on prey three times her size. (Video)

An Australian man posted a Facebook video of a massive spider carrying a mouse up a fridge. The video taken by Jason Womal has been watched more than 10 million times. It shows a Huntsman spider trying to eat the mouse as it drags it up the fridge. Womal says the spider is fine and that he has chosen to adopt him. “We have named him Hermie,” Womal said in a Facebook post. “He is now running his own extermination business out of our town in Coppabella. Oh and he is now paying rent. Lol.”

A Melbourne man could end up losing all four of his limbs after suffering a bite from a white-tailed spider. Terry Pareja was visiting relatives at Birchip, Victoria, and was unaware he was bitten on his right leg until it began to swell 24 hours later and caused him to walk with a limp. There was no doctor available on the weekend at Birchip, so he was forced to wait until Monday to seek medical advice. After a visit to his sister's doctor Mr Pareja was rushed to Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, Victoria and had emergency surgery to amputate...

It is nature’s David versus Goliath battle – a redback spider squaring off with a much larger brown snake. Extraordinary footage has surfaced of the moment the spider won a duel to the death with a reptile who slithered too close to its web. The vision of the two deadly creatures has made a splash on social media, where commenters voiced their astonishment at the underdog victory.

Snakes often spark fear in humans because of their venom and speed, but one found itself completely helpless when it stumbled into the home of a deadly spider. Carmel Munro, from Vinifera, Australia, walked into her garden shed to find a female redback spider battling a snake that it had caught in its web. Despite tossing and turning the large snake cannot shake itself free as the spider approaches to inject its venom.

Most living creatures make themselves scarce upon seeing a huntsman spider. But not the spider wasp. It kills them and uses them as a giant meal for its larvae – and one of the insects has been caught on camera dragging one of the arachnids around a kitchen.

Just in time for Halloween, video has emerged from Australia that may chill your blood. Facebook user Jason Womal uploaded video of a giant spider dragging a mouse. "So I am just about to leave for work about 0030 [12:30 am] and me neighbour says, 'You want to see something cool,'" Womal wrote. "So we proceed to his place and he shows me this. Huntsman trying to eat a mouse."

An eight-legged passenger caused a rollover crash Wednesday in Portland, Oregon that totaled a car, according to local authorities. The driver lost control after a spider fell from the rearview mirror, causing her to panic and swerve off the road into a ditch, reported news station WSBT.

A Sydney scientist has discovered seven new species of peacock spiders — a tiny and colourful arachnid that lurks in scrub and bushland across southern Australia. Key points: The spectacular creatures are found all over Australia Scientist believes there are now 48 confirmed species of spider Their movements and colours help attract females The man who made the discovery, Jurgen Otto, said he believed even the most extreme arachnophobes would be enchanted by the beauty of the creatures, which are just a few millimetres in length. Audio: Listen to Jake Sturmer's story on AM (AM) "They're just absolutely incredible. People...

A group of campers encountered and trapped a large camel spider at a campground in central Israel. Facebook user Nate Simantov shared a video of the camel spider which was trapped in a plastic container with a rock to weigh it down. "That time we caught a camel spider while camping," Simantov wrote. According to National Geographic, although camel spiders are classified as arachnids, they are actually solpugids and not spiders. While one camper remarked that the large arachnid was "gross," they do not possess any venom and are mostly harmless to humans.

Bryan Hughes just couldn't handle this spider. video only on link