Woman is encouraged to move monster female huntsman spider lurking in her shower

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Woman is encouraged to move a female huntsman spider lurking in her shower because the steam may cause her to FALL mid-wash

  • Cathy Cox found the female arachnid curled up near the ceiling in the bathroom 
  • She asked Facebook users whether she should try to remove the huntsman
  • Users were horrified by close-up photos which made the spider look enormous

By Charlotte Karp For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

A woman has been left terrified after finding a massive banded huntsman spider in her shower.

Cathy Cox found the female arachnid curled up near the ceiling in the bathroom of her Perth home and turned to a spider identification Facebook group for advice earlier in March.

Despite being scared of the eight-legged creature, Ms Cox asked whether she should try to move her.

Pictured: the huntsman in Ms Cox's bathroom

Cathy Cox found an enormous banded huntsman spider in her shower and asked if she should move it

‘I have what I believe to be a beautiful huntsman in my shower,’ she wrote in the post.

‘She is out of harms way but should I relocate her? FYI heart racing at the thought of the latter.’

Users agreed that she should move the huntsman because the steam from the shower could cause her to lose her footing and slip off the wall.

‘I would suggest to her to move somewhere more cozy,’ one user wrote.

‘I cannot imagine more horrifying things than her getting a little steamy, loosing her footing and dropping onto your shoulder on the shower.’ 

But others were horrified by the close-up photos the woman uploaded, which made the 4.5cm spider look significantly larger that it is.

'It looks like it's the size of a basketball. I would not touch. They have claimed your shower. You can use the hose to wash now,' one user joked

‘It looks like it’s the size of a basketball. I would not touch. They have claimed your shower. You can use the hose to wash now,’ one user joked

‘It looks like it’s the size of a basketball. I would not touch. They have claimed your shower. You can use the hose to wash now,’ one user joked.

‘I really appreciate that you said she’s about 4 1/2 cm body length, but I was wondering if you could kindly put a tape measure around her belly to measure that too for our edification?’ Another asked.

Ms Cox replied: ‘Sure no problem. I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.’

‘Omg why does it look like it could turn on the shower itself,’ someone else wrote.

Another user created a meme comparing the size of the spider to an elephant. 

Ms Cox then posted another photograph of the huntsman, which was zoomed out to show the actual dimensions.

She explained that she zoomed in on the original photos so users in the group could help her identify the arachnid.

Banded huntsman spiders are not aggressive or dangerous to humans.

HUNTSMAN SPIDERS 

Huntsman spiders are large, long-legged spiders. They are mostly grey to brown, sometimes with banded legs.

The banded huntsman is one of the largest in Australia.

They are found in the warmer parts of eastern Australia, and range from NSW to Queensland.

They are commonly found living under loose bark on trees, in crevices on rock walls and in logs, under rocks and slabs of bark on the ground, and on foliage. 

Huntsman spiders of many species sometimes enter houses. They are also notorious for entering cars, and being found hiding behind sun visors or running across the dashboard.

These spiders are extremely fast, and have the ability to run sideways and squeeze into very narrow crevices. 

Direct handling is not recommended. Although these spiders are not dangerously venomous and are quite timid, adults do have large fangs and could give a painful bite. 

If you need to transfer them, they can be easily guided into a jar or plastic container. 

Source: Australian Museum