An unusual venomous spider was spotted at a tree nursery in England, after it arrived with a shipment of olives from Spain.
The arachnid was found in West Sussex after a delivery of olives from Cordoba was unpacked.
The nursery owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “My son, who was driving the forklift, saw it when he drove past”.
He added: “He just saw it out of the corner of his eye walking slowly across the yard.
“He rang me and said there's something big just walked across the yard and under a pot.
“It came in on a batch of olives we bought from a place near Cordoba.
The spider was found in West Sussex after a delivery of olives from Cordoba was unpacked (STOCK PICTURE)
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“I had two truckloads of them and after we unloaded, it was walking across the yard slowly.”
After sharing a photograph with arachnologists on Facebook, the man was informed that the spider was a Spanish funnel-web, formally known as Macrothele calpeiana.
A 1989 description from the British Arachnological Society said the insect “has for some time been considered to be Europe’s largest spider”.
It “has also gained a reputation for being aggressive when disturbed and capable of administering a painful bite”, according to the description.
The nursery-owner was astonished by the size of the spider, despite his frequent encounters with wildlife, saying: “It was impressive. I think it's the largest spider in Europe.”
He said: “Honestly, we're a nursery so we see bugs and spiders all the time.”
Jack Casson, a spider enthusiast from Hartlepool, has now taken in the creature which his girlfriend has named Bessie.
Casson said: “This species builds elaborate webs, with the entrance to their burrow being funnel-shaped and adorned with silken trip wires.
“Taxonomically, they are in the infraorder mygalomorphae which includes the trapdoor spiders and tarantulas.
“We only have one native mygalomorphae in the UK and they are much, much smaller and look quite different.
“So I knew straight away that the spider was a non-native stowaway.”
He continued: “The spider looks to be female, is settling in very well and has already started webbing up her enclosure to make herself feel at home.
“She has a huge appetite, having eaten five crickets since I took her in.”
The enthusiast added that the spider is nothing to fear, saying: “The spider is venomous but isn't medically significant – meaning it can't kill humans.”
“Although I bet a bite would hurt a lot, I don't plan on finding out either way”, he joked.
“Spiders are hugely misunderstood creatures and I hope that people reading this will look at them in a more positive light.”
He explained that “none of our UK spiders are medically significant” and do not generally want to bite humans.
Casson advised: “Next time you see a spider about your home, let it go about its business.
“And thank it for the free pest control it provides, by helping keep at bay the bugs that actually do seek out humans to feed on.”
