Huntsman Spider And Babies Takes Over Car In Stomach-Churning Video

Australia has a reputation for being abundant in creepy crawlies, but nothing could have prepared one Sydney resident for the sight that confronted her when she opened her car recently - and found it overrun with spiders. Dannielle Glasgow returned to her parked car and was shocked to find it crawling with a number of baby spiders and their mom.

It turned out that a Huntsman spider and her babies had taken over the car - and mama spider wasn't too happy about being disturbed. Footage filmed by Ms Glasgow shows the huge adult spider scuttling across the dashboard and even rearing its legs up protectively at one point. 

Huntsman spiders are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. These large, long-legged spiders are widely distributed throughout Australia. 

According to the Australian Museum, they are notorious for entering cars and being found hiding behind sun visors or running across the dashboard - just like in Ms Glasgow's video. 

On YouTube, the video has inspired a number of comments, ranging from repulsed to intrigued.

"Just burn the whole car at that point," wrote one person. "Time to have a bonfire asap. The car isn't worth it," another agreed, while a third countered by saying that the Glasgows should feel honoured that their car was chosen by the spider.

Some also remarked on the spider's behaviour. "Mama ready to attack camera man to protect her babies," a viewer said. 

Huntsman spiders are known to aggressively defend their young ones against threats. They have been known to bite and attack humans. Although painful, getting bit by a Huntsman is not dangerous.