Adelaide man terrified after discovering sinister truth behind a small spider hole in his garden
- An Adelaide Hills man was shocked to find a deep hole in his garden
- The reality of what was lurking underneath terrified him
- READ MORE: Man stunned after spotting ‘magical’ winged creature that looks like a children’s toy in his garden
An Australian man revealed a photo of a small hole in his garden that has thousands locking their doors and reaching for protection.
The man found a deep hole the size of a coin in his backyard, and was immediately concerned about what it could mean.
‘I’m in Adelaide Hills – can someone tell me what lives in here?’ he asked.
After sharing the shot online, many decided that the hole looked like the residence of either a wolf spider or a trapdoor spider.
According to the Australian Museum, the lack of ‘door’ over the hole was common for both species, as not all of them create doors for their burrows.
An Australian man revealed a photo of a small hole in his garden that has thousands locking their doors and reaching for protection
READ MORE: I drive through an Aussie river filled with 600 starving killer crocodiles to get to my job
Trapdoor spiders live underground in burrows covered with doors made out of leaves or sticks to keep themselves hidden from predators
Hundreds rushed to the man’s aid and shared stories about run-ins with the species.
‘That is probably a burrow of a trapdoor spider,’ one said. ‘Most of them don’t really build doors.’
‘There are thousands of these holes in the park across from my house – they’re all trapdoor spiders,’ another wrote. ‘I get a kick whenever I see people sunbathing or sitting on the grass, blissfully unaware of the horror sitting below them.’
While others were convinced it was a wolf spider – which lives on the ground in leaf litter or burrows, and are often found in lawns and gardens.
‘Absolutely a lycosidae spider burrow (wolf spider),’ another countered. ‘Unfortunately trap doors are on the decline, the vast majority of burrows you find (everywhere from in your lawn to in native bush land) will be wolf spider burrows.’
‘I will never forget the time I tried to catch and release a large wolf spider under a container, only to find it was covered in 100s of baby wolf spiders – who were small enough to escape in all directions,’ a woman shared.
According to the Australian Museum , the lack of ‘door’ over the hole was common for trapdoor spiders, as not all of them create doors for their burrows
What’s the difference between trapdoor spiders and wolf spiders?
TRAPDOOR SPIDERS
Trapdoor spiders live underground in burrows covered with doors made out of leaves or sticks to keep themselves hidden from predators
Most trapdoor spiders are black and brown in colour, with short, blunt spinnerets
Their diet consists of many insets including crickets, moths, beetles and grasshoppers that they snatch from the edge of their burrow
A trapdoor spider’s venom is not considered dangerous to humans and will usually cause mild pain or swelling
WOLF SPIDERS
Wolf spiders live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows, and are often found in lawns and gardens
They mostly feed on small ground dwelling invertebrates, predominately insects, but will attack small vertebrates if given the opportunity
Their body colours are typically drab, with most having patterns in brown and yellow, black and white; some inland species are a bright salmon pink below
Symptoms of a wolf spider bite are usually minor, restricted to local pain or itchiness
Source: Australia Museum
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