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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Antony Thrower

Deadly spiders that bite underwater hiding in people's swimming pools after floods

Venomous spiders have been spotted laying in wait in people’s swimming pools, after heavy rain washed them down pipes.

New South Wales in Australia was recently hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms, causing mass flooding in some areas.

The deluge forced spiders, such as deadly funnel-webs, into swimming pools where they are able to survive for more than 24 hours.

Several terrified residents reported seeing the eight-legged freaks, with several calling specialists to remove them.

Resident Dan Smith found a funnel web in his pool and told 9news: “It was very active, very fiery.

"You could not get a deadlier spider in your house.

"It was a mature male which makes it more dangerous, apparently they're five times more deadly."

He wrote on Facebook : “Trapdoor spider in the pool on Wednesday then a funnel web today.

“Anyone for a swim?”

Helen Smith, the arachnology collection manager at the Australian Museum, added spiders take longer to drown.

Adding they can bite underwater, she said: “They can survive for several hours and sometimes a thoroughly dead-looking spider can suddenly twitch or come back to life slowly.

“To bite they need to grip onto something so don't poke them."

Earlier this year an enormous crocodile was spotted roaming the streets of a rural town after flooding.

Western Australia Police received reports of a croc on the loose in an isolated area in the north of the state at around 2am on Thursday.

The cranky creature put up a fight as officers tried a number of different techniques to control its movements and usher it back to its home.

The uninterested animal continued on its joyride, with officers bringing in a local volunteer wildlife worker to find a solution.

Expert Tamela from Wild Life West Inc successfully tranquillised the crocodile to put an end to its rambling.

Once the crocodile was safely asleep, the creature was transported to its river.

A spokeswoman for the police department said the wildlife expert's assistance was key in the operation, and that they wouldn't have been able to safely relocate the beast without them or it being harmed.

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