Huntsman spider 'size of a hand' found in Oldham warehouse

The huntsman, which is among the biggest in the world with their legs reaching around 11 inches when fully grown, was found among boxes shipped to the UK from China.

It was found by a worker unpacking boxes from China with goods to be sent to customers across the UK.

She said: “The spider is the size of my child’s hand.

Huntsman spider found in an Oldham warehouse this week (Image: SWNS)

“I found the spider in-between boxes - it was dead already squashed and dried.

“It was quite shocking to find such a creature where you wouldn’t expect it to be."

She continued: “It gave me a heart attack - I was there with my husband and I jumped away and hid behind him.

“I would compare the size of it to the hand of my three-year-old. The body of it was the size of a car key.

Huntsman spider found in an Oldham warehouse this week (Image: SWNS)

“It gives me shivers just thinking about it.”

The spider was found on Tuesday (March 12) and is believed to have died during the month-long journey by sea from China.

Aaron Phoenix, a spider expert who owns almost 1,000 spiders, explained to the publication that he believed the creature was a huntsman spider – likely a heteropoda venatoria, native to tropical regions of the world.

The species are not considered dangerous but carry enough venom to deliver a painful bite if provoked.

He said: “It’s definitely a huntsman spider – it looks like the heteropoda venatoria - a gorgeous spider.

“A lot of people get freaked out by these but they are actually harmless, just very quick.

“Fully grown, they have around a four-inch diagonal leg span. I’ve been sent pictures of these a few times by friends that work on the fruit market and at the airport."

He added: “It’s becoming very popular to hear of them coming over in cargo containers and fruit boxes.”