Stomach-Turning Moment Massive Huntsman Spider Eats a Helpless Gecko for His Webby Meal

The enormous arachnid was spotted by Melanie Jade Ottaway at her home in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia, as she and her partner Troy James, 28, sat down for dinner on Sunday night.

They noticed they'd been joined by a huge huntsman spider - around five inches across - sitting on the glass door to the decking with a gecko caught helplessly between its mandibles.

Melanie Jade, 29, grabbed her camera to capture the terrifying scene.

She said: "We just sat down to have dinner at the dining table and noticed something massive on the glass sliding door, I got up to have a closer look and there it was, a huge huntsman with a gorgeous little gecko in his mouth.

"It was too late to save him, so we let nature take its path.

"It's creepy isn't it? But fascinating in a strange way."

Huntsmen spiders can grow really big, with some species measuring 12 inches across. They typically hunt alone and wander hunting prey at speed rather than using webs.

They typically hunt cockroaches and other pests and are sometimes a welcome addition to a home. Although their size can scare people their bite, although venomous, is not fatal but has been linked to infections in humans.

Earlier this month a dad of five almost died after a holiday spider bite left him with a rotting hole in his leg.

Simon John, 45, and his five-month-old baby Harrison were BOTH preyed on by a mystery arachnid while asleep on a caravan break.