COPPABELLA, Australia — Jason Womal said he was getting ready to go to work when his neighbor asked him, "You want to see something cool?"
The Coppabella, Australia, man enthusiastically said yes and ended up recording video of an enormous huntsman spider carrying away an even bigger mouse in the house next door.
The Guardian reported that Womal posted the creepy, astonishing video on Facebook Saturday. It has over 12 million views.
Graham Millage, the manager of the Australian Museum’s archaeology collection, told The Guardian the video was a first for him.
"This is the first time I’ve seen one catch a mouse, but I have seen huntsmen catch geckos," Millage said. "I’ve seen a redback spider catch a snake in its web, I’ve seen a golden orb spiders catch birds."
Just a few photos of the huntsman and the mouse.
Posted by Jason Womal on Saturday, October 22, 2016
Helen Smith, an arachnid expert at the museum, showed some skepticism about the video.
"I would be very surprised if a huntsman would attack a mouse and even if it did, that the venom would be sufficient to kill it fast enough for the spider to still have hold of it," she told the Guardian. "I am a also suspicious because the mouse’s tail looks quite stiff -- as though it has been dead some time."
Although some of us would pack our bags and move far away, Womal said he's made friends with the spider.
"OK guys so just letting you all know that the spider is fine," Womal said in an update. "We have named him Hermie, we have adopted him and he is now running his own extermination business out of our town Coppabella. Oh and he is now paying rent. Lol."
If you can bear it, watch the video below:
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". So we proceed to his place and he shows me this. Huntsman trying to eat a mouse.
Posted by Jason Womal on Saturday, October 22, 2016
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