Giant Australian spider hitches a ride to the UK, gives mover quite the shock

Another Australian has moved to the UK.

This one, however, was a giant Australian huntsman spider, much to a British removalist's horror.

The huge spider was discovered in a shipping container, used to move family belongings from Brisbane to the town of Merstham, located south of London.

The 18 centimetre (7 inch) specimen managed to survive after three months on the road and more than 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) of travel, BBC News reported.

"I had three guys unloading, one ran about two miles up the road when he first saw it," Dave Aldridge, manager at Britannia Movers International, told the news outlet.

"He's a handsome, furry guy. I caught him in a lunch box and took him home for my six-year-old son to see while waiting for the RSPCA to pick him up."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Contrary to its appearance, the huntsman is a relatively harmless spider. Its bite will only cause minor pain for 30-40 minutes, according to the Queensland Museum.

RSPCA officer Annie Janes said in a statement via email the spider was about the size of her two hands put together, and was fortunate to stay alive throughout such a long trip.

"From the empty locust shells found in the container it seems he has thankfully been able to find food during that length of time, but it's a long time to go without water, and he's lucky he didn’t get squished by any boxes or furniture," she said.

"When I arrived he had been caught in a box and I carefully put a few drops of water down which he drank for some time, before confining him in a secure carrier."

Janes said it wasn't rare for exotic spiders like these to be discovered in shipping containers, as they include outdoor equipment which can house the arachnids by mistake.

It looks like this huntsman will have an extended holiday in the UK, as it has been handed into Heathrow Animal Reception who will look to rehome it with a specialist.

Just don't be like your other countrymen and complain about the weather constantly, OK?

Correction: An earlier version stated the spider was an insect, when it is in fact an arachnid.