Man Who Felt Tickling In Earmuffs Discovers Huge Huntsman Spider Inside

A man in Australia (where else?) was given a fright when he discovered the source of the tickling in his earmuffs. You can check out the grim arachnid discovery here (though it is likely to give you the heebie-jeebies):

Olly Hurst, a plumber from Perth, was finding it hard to concentrate on his work due to the tickling he could feel inside his earmuffs. After taking them off, the cause of said tickling became immediately apparent - a massive huntsman spider was nestled away in one of the ear protectors.

In footage shared with ABC Perth, he said: "I absolutely knew I could feel something tickling my ear. Hmmm, nasty."

He then proceeded to shake the earmuffs in a bid to liberate the ear-dwelling arachnid, but it didn't budge.

"It doesn't want to come out. He's happy in there," he added.

The video ends with Olly dropping the earmuffs on the floor - where presumably they shall remain forever more. Indeed, many people were amazed that Olly didn't head straight for the hills.

ABC Perth/Olly Hurst

Commenting on the video, one person said: "Oh my lordy... I'd scream then throw them and run far far away."

Another said: "I am amazed that you didn't have a heart attack when you saw what had been tickling your ear."

A third added: "Buy some new earmuffs and let the spider have his/her new home."

Yeah, being that close to a creepy-crawly is bad enough, but having one encased on top of an orifice is the stuff of nightmares.

Huntsman spiders aren't actually that dangerous to humans, certainly not by Aussie spider standards - although they do pack some venom.

However, they can span up to 15cm (almost six inches), so they're incredibly adept at scaring the absolute s*** out of you - particularly if unearthed unexpectedly from something like an earmuff, say.

PA

Indeed, Down Under it is wise to check inside shoes and the like before putting them on, in case more dangerous creatures like the comparatively innocuous-looking redback spider are lurking in there.

Similarly, you might want check the dunny for snakes. Just ask Sofie Pearson, who found a family of tree snakes living in her bog in Cordelia, North Queensland, in August.

Speaking to 7News, Sofie said: "I went to the toilet and then I went to flush it and I really had to push down on the button to get it to work, so I was a bit confused.

"So I figured I'd just pull the top off and check what the issue was. I sort of looked at them for a second and thought, 'That's not right.'"

You're not wrong there Sofie.

Topics: Spiders, Animals, Australia

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey