A Michigan mom is still in shock after discovering a massive spider in her toddler son’s bedroom. According to ABC 15, the spider that the mother found is so big that it doesn’t even belong in the state.
The mom, Jillian Duke, and her family live in the Spring Hill Apartments in Shelby Township in metro Detroit. On Wednesday morning, she went to check on her 21-month-old son in his bedroom when she spotted something very strange.
The oddly shaped mass was reportedly so big that Duke initially thought it was a ball of string. “I looked over thinking it was a big ball of string and it turned out it had eyes and it was a big spider,” said Duke.
“I went to go reach for it and I kind of backed up and I said that’s just too much string,” she added. Although she dropped some heavy books on the enormous spider, Duke immediately called her husband and parents for help. Duke said her father’s reaction shocked her more than anything.
“He’s 73, he’s pipelined across the country, he couldn’t believe the size of the spider and he’s never seen anything like that,” said Duke.
Because the massive spider had been so close to her son, Duke took it to Pets & Things off Van Dyke Road in Utica to have it examined.
The workers got in touch with entomologists and specialists at Cranbrook Institute of Science and they believe they have finally identified it.
“Australian Huntsman Spider, which would be one of the largest spiders in the world, but completely harmless, outside of an allergic reaction to it’s venom,” said Randy John Lee, an employee at Pets & Things.
Specialists say this spider isn’t native to Michigan. In fact, it’s not even found in this continent. “It shouldn’t be here, it probably came in on a tropical plant,” said Lee.
With a baby boy at home, Duke is now extremely concerned about the discovery inside her apartment. “This thing is huge. It needs a leash,” said Duke.
Lee said the giant spider was likely shipped to Michigan in some plants from a store selling trees and flowers, but he can’t be sure at this point.
After Duke urged the maintenance in the apartment complex to spray for insects, other people on social media echoed her concerns.
“I live in these apartments. They definitely need to spray!! The spider is beyond nasty, but I’m not a huge fan of the giant carpenter ants, wasps and other smaller spiders that are in our building,” one woman wrote on Facebook.
