As if a huge spider isn't terrifying enough on its own, an unnervingly large arachnid has been caught on camera dragging a poor frog to what we can only assume is not a great fate.
Sujay Shah, 25, spotted the two creatures in his bathroom in Jalpaiguri, India, and started recording as he saw the duo locked in a life-or-death battle.
Advert
While many of us would run away from such scenes, Sujay said he was really 'excited' by what he saw.
"I've loved science and the natural world since my childhood," he said.
"Be it biology or physics, I'm a science student who always seeks answers and is fascinated by the universe and its laws.
"So I was very happy and excited because I knew I was witnessing a relatively rare event of nature."
Sujay wasn't too sure what species the spider was, but experts agree it was a huntsman.
Advert
Jason Dunlop and Peter Jäger, arachnid experts from the Berlin Natural History Museum and the Senckenberg Research Institute, respectively, believe the animal was from the Heteropoda genus - a group of arachnids that includes the largest spider in the world.
Dunlop said: "In general, large spiders can and will eat small vertebrates like frogs, birds, mice, lizards and even snakes if they get the chance.
"Only the largest spiders do this with any regularity - and huntsman spiders can get quite big.
"But this doesn't happen often - most spiders eat insects most of the time and none of them are specialist frog eaters."
Jäger added: "They catch what they can get."
Advert
Sujay said he watched the spider and frog for a minute, before leaving them alone to let nature take its course.
In his footage, the spider's eyes can be seen glowing in the dark as it carries off its dinner.
Sujay continued: "I left the place after a while, and when I came back after an hour, it was gone.
"I didn't want to interrupt it. I hope it enjoyed its meal."
Most people may find spiders scary, but Sujay believes it's better to leave the creepy crawlies in peace, saying we should think twice before we try and harm them.
Advert
"I've seen people tend to kill spiders and other insects because they're 'scary' or maybe some people are scared of venomous insects," he said.
"I think we should stop this practice of harming what we don't like or harming something without knowing much about it."
Featured Image Credit: Pen News
Topics: Spider, News, Animals, India