Huntsman spiders are famous for two things: being one of the largest spider species in the world, and being surprisingly harmless despite their size. When one of these giant arachnids moves indoors, it’s hard to miss — but for one Sydney family, a huntsman in the house turned into something bigger than a single spider sighting.
An Unexpected Nursery
According to The Dodo, a Sydney mother named Claudia was at home when her daughter alerted her that something was going on in her bedroom. When Claudia went to check, she found dozens upon dozens of baby huntsman spiders that had hatched near a window — from an egg sac the family hadn’t even noticed was there.
“It certainly was an unexpected surprise,” Claudia told The Dodo. “We do have the occasional huntsman spider in the house, but I didn’t realize we had an entire kindergarten crawling around.”
“They’re So Cute!”
Rather than panic, Claudia’s reaction went viral for being the opposite of what most people would expect. “They’re so cute!” she said. “I’m not going to kill them.” Instead of forcibly removing the spiderlings, she simply opened the window and let them make their own way outside. “We let them be. And they were all gone the next morning,” she said. “We basically love animals.”
Footage of the encounter, shared online by family friend Peta Rogers, drew widespread attention — and no shortage of disbelief from people convinced it had to be staged.
Why This Isn’t as Alarming as It Looks
A single huntsman spider egg sac can contain anywhere from 100 to over 200 spiderlings, which is why the sudden appearance of “dozens and dozens” of tiny spiders can look overwhelming even though it’s a completely normal part of the species’ life cycle. Female huntsman spiders typically guard their egg sac closely until it hatches, then the spiderlings disperse quickly — often within a day or two — to avoid competing with each other for food and space, which is consistent with Claudia’s spiders being gone by the next morning.
Despite their intimidating size — some huntsman species have a leg span of up to a foot — they’re generally considered low-risk to humans. According to the Australian Museum, huntsman spiders would rather flee than bite, and on the rare occasion they do bite, the effects are typically mild: localized pain and swelling rather than anything medically serious. They’re also genuinely useful housemates, since their diet consists largely of insects and other pests like cockroaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are huntsman spiders dangerous to have in your home? Generally no — they’re considered a low-risk species that prefers to avoid confrontation, and many Australian households tolerate them specifically because they help control insect and cockroach populations.
How many babies can a huntsman spider have at once? A single egg sac typically contains 100 to 200+ spiderlings, though not all will survive to adulthood once they disperse into the wild.
What should I do if I find a huntsman spider egg sac in my house? Wildlife experts generally recommend leaving the sac undisturbed if possible and, once hatched, opening a window or door nearby — as Claudia did — to let the spiderlings disperse outside on their own rather than attempting to remove them by hand.
Source: The Dodo, with photo/video credit corrected to Peta Rogers based on cross-referenced reporting.