After closer examination, Parks and Wildlife ranger Clare Pearce has decided Katherine’s giant spider eating a gecko is most likely a huntsman.
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More common than the barking spider, the huntsman is great to have in the house, ranger Pearce said.
“They are actually quite a fierce predator, but they prey on home pests,” she said.
“Great spiders to have in the house. They will eat anything they can catch.”
Earlier in the week, Katherine resident Chris Whiting and his 17-year-old son discovered the long-legged creepy crawly gorging on a gecko beneath their veranda.
They filmed the spectacle while cleaning up building rubbish on their property near Donkey Camp.
Mr Whiting said he had seen big spiders before, but never this big and definitely not while in the middle of a feast.
Like the barking spider, a bite from a Huntsman isn’t fatal, but it is very painful.
One of the fastest spiders in the world, the huntsman tends to keep to itself, usefully keeping other critters around the house in check.
“As soon as I saw its face and smooth abdomen I was pretty sure it looked like a Huntsman,” ranger Pearce said.
“I can guarantee everyone has a few Huntsman spiders in their house right now,” she said.