Mom finds “monster spider” lurking in toddler’s bedroom

SHELBY CHARTER, Mich. (CBS) One of the largest spiders in the world caused a fright when it crept its way into an apartment in Michigan.

CBS Detroit reports mother-of-two Jillian Duke found the enormous arachnid lurking in her toddler’s bedroom Wednesday morning.

“At first glance, I thought it was a big ball of string, honestly,” Duke said. “And then, as I got a little bit closer to it, I noticed it had eyes. That’s when I turned on my flashlight on my phone and I realized it was a spider. I actually thought it was a cluster of spiders, and then I realized it was just one.”

Duke says she didn’t scream. She stayed pretty calm throughout the ordeal.

In order not to get too close, Duke said she threw a couple of books on top of the spider and then hit it with a broom. Her father came over and stepped on it to be sure it was dead.

The family saved the deceased spider in a bag and took it to local experts to be identified.

Entomologists at Cranbook Institute of Science say the eight-legged creature was an Australian Huntsman​, which is an extremely rare site in Michigan. The spider is named for its speed and the way it catches its prey. It’s venomous and can bite, but is not known to be aggressive or dangerous to humans.

Authorities believe the spider was transported through a shipment of produce or plants.

Duke says she found holes outside near her furnace closet. She believes that’s how the spider made its way into her apartment.

To be safe, Duke called pest control to search the property for additional creepy crawlers.