If you're scared of spiders, you're about to have your worst nightmare realised. Yup, pretty much how Ron Weasley felt all throughout The Chamber of Secrets…
That's right, GIANT spiders are about to be unleashed all over the country, and they're said to be the size of rats.
We don't like rat-sized rats, let alone rat-sized spiders. Not for us, thanks.
Approximately 400 fen raft spiders - the biggest in Britain - have been released into the wild by zoo keepers in a bid to reintroduce the endangered creepies to their natural habitat.
You sure they weren't happy enough setting up camp at Chessington World of Adventures? It's a pretty fun place, after all…
But zookeepers - who have been working for five years with the crawlers to try and protect them from extinction - now feel they've ready to fly the web, as the clever clogs have managed to double the population of the eight-legged folk.
So, here's a few fun facts dazzle you little ones with when they run across their path:
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Female Fen rafts spiders can grow up to 7cm in width
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Their bodes are dark brown or black with cream/white stripes
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They can float and move across water courtesy of their hairy legs
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They eat smaller spiders, dragonfly larvae, pond skaters and have even got ahold of small fish and tadpoles - yikes!
(Thanks, BugLife.org.uk!)
Please remember that these spiders are endangered, so it's vital to teach your children to catch and release these not-so-little guys if they find them - not to kill them.
As the saying goes: If you want to live and thrive let a spider run alive!
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