Horrific photos have emerged that show what appears to be a 'spider apocalypse' in Australia, in the wake of recent floods having subsided.
Millions of the eight-legged creatures have taken over in Victoria, covering the place in blankets of cobwebs as they try to find safety from flood waters on higher grounds.
These images were taken in Gippsland, in the East of the state. They show the thick sheets covering grass, shrubs and even road signs and other structures.
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One Reddit user posted on the site, saying: "If the floods weren't enough, I give you, spider apocalypse."
Another person responded, saying: "Australia delivers. Not any kind of package you want to sign for, but it delivers nonetheless."
And I think we can all agree with the sentiment of another, who simply said: "No way, get f***ed, f*** off."
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The arachnids are most likely sheetweb spiders, according to Professor Dieter Hochuli from the University of Sydney, and they're not actually that uncommon after floods.
Speaking to 7News, he said: "They build a web that is a little bit different to the ones we're more familiar with - like orb webs, their ones are flat and the spiders often live between two layers of webbing.
"When we get these types of very heavy rains and flooding these animals who spend their lives cryptically on the ground can't live there anymore, and do exactly what we try to do - they move to the higher ground."
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The bugs and creepy crawlies in Australia are famously relentless, with news of a huntsman spider baby boom emerging just a few months ago.
The hairy spider has a tendency to take up residence in bathrooms, bedrooms and pretty much anywhere else that's guaranteed to give you a major fright if you're an arachnophobe.
But Macquarie University arachnologist Dr Lizzy Lowe has assured everyone there's no reason to be afraid of our eight-legged friends.
"Huntsmen don't have very good eyesight. They see light and dark and movement and that's about all," Dr Lowe told Weatherzone.
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"They will never intentionally run towards you because they're small and not highly venomous. They can bite you, but they won't do any harm.
"Huntsmen are super fast but they get confused, so if a huntsman is running towards you, it's confused.
"They're not aggressive spiders at all and they generally stay high up because that's where they're finding the food they want to eat."
According to the doc, if you happen to spot a clump of baby huntsman spiders in your home, it's probably best to let them be - or alternatively, burn down your house and flee the country. Either is reasonable.
Featured Image Credit: Reddit
