Woman Spots Someone Terrifyingly Cute Hiding On A Tree
Can you find him? 👀
Kelsey Panda was out on her lunch break when she suddenly realized she was being watched.
Eight tiny eyes stared up at her from a nearby tree trunk.
“[I] went to lean my hand on the tree but saw something move, so I had a closer look and saw this little guy chilling on the tree trunk,” Panda told The Dodo.
A Lichen Huntsman spider was blending in perfectly with the mottled bark of the tree. The 2-and-a-half-inch-long spider matched the surface and texture of the lichen growing on the tree, giving it a crusty, leaf-like appearance.
“The pattern was so beautiful it really was mesmerizing,” Panda said.
For Panda, finding her little lunch buddy was a nice surprise. “I’ve lived in Cairns, Queensland, most of my life and haven't seen a spider quite like it before,” Panda said. “But I suppose we can see why.”
She made sure to snap a few photos of the spider pulling his disappearing act. Can you find him?
Huntsman spiders eat a variety of insects and actively hunt their prey instead of using a web. And their insect abatement makes them useful pest management in a garden.
They are not considered dangerous and do not bite unless provoked. A bite from a huntsman can cause some minor pain, inflammation and nausea.
Panda wasn’t afraid of the spider any more than the spider seemed to be concerned with her. “It was just a nice little lunchtime bonus for me,” Panda said. “Its little eyes were watching me while I took the photo, then just remained where it was until I left.”
