While drinking his morning coffee, Sydney, Australia resident Dan Smith noticed a giant spider crawling into his pool.
When Smith first saw the creature, he assumed it was another spider, a normally harmless species. He didn't realize what he had found until he collected it in a jar: a funnel-shaped spider.
Smith confirmed with spider hunter Scott Johnson, who said "you can't have a deadly spider in your house."
The funnel-shaped spider was 3 cm long and was trying to get out of the pool. Smith describes the deadly arachnid as highly active and highly motivated. "It will sit on its hind legs, ready to pounce," he told Newsweek .
The encounter took place on March 25 at the same spot where Smith found a spider of similar size.
The funnel spider is one of the deadliest spider species in the world. According to the Australian Museum, the species seen at Smith's Pool, the Sydney funnel-web spider, is the most dangerous funnel-web spider, responsible for the number of deaths recorded in this group of spiders to date.
Male Sydney funnelworm venom contains a potent neurotoxin known as delta-atracotoxin, which can cause muscle spasms, dangerous drops in blood pressure, coma and, if left untreated, organ failure. According to a toxicology report from St. Luke's University Hospital of Pennsylvania, poisoning can cause death within 15 minutes (for young children) if no antidote is administered.
At least 13 deaths of male funnel-web spiders have been recorded in Sydney, although no deaths have occurred from the species since the antidote was introduced in 1981.
This spider's native range is in the Sydney area of New South Wales, which means it often comes into contact with people and property.
Smith shared a photo of the spider in a post on Facebook that drew concerned comments from other users.
"Time to pack up and move on," one commenter said, with another writing: "No thanks."
Smith described the encounter as a "wake-up call" and a reminder to pay attention to dangerous wildlife, even on your own property. "You never know what swimming can do to you," he told 9News in Australia. "Always check, especially if you have kids."
