Watch: Enormous Tarantula Rescued From Drowning In Floodwater

A huge whistling spider was rescued by a pair of nature lovers, from drowning in the floodwaters of Queensland, Australia.

In a video, uploaded on Facebook by Andrea Gofton, the whistling spider, also known as Australian tarantula, was seen holding on to a frail tree branch for dear life, outside a SPAR Supermarket in the town of Halifax, northeast of Ingham, Queensland, as floodwater flowed inches below — a result of more than more than 400 millimeters of precipitation deposited in the last four days.

In the video, someone extends their hand beside the spider to measure how huge the four-legged creature is. It is seen that the size of its body almost covers more than half of a standard human hand.

Replying to a commenter on her Facebook page, Gofton said that despite the fact that there were others who wanted to kill the spider, she and her friend Andrew Giliberto decided to save the creature’s life.

In a separate video, Giliberto is seen carrying the spider swiftly away from the floodwaters by carefully holding the other end of the branch, which was occupied by it. The duo placed the whistling spider on a tree near a pharmacy.

The first video has been viewed more than 50,000 times.

The Australian tarantulas are usually found in warmer and more arid regions.

“They are large to very large grey or brown spiders that are very hairy with two finger-like spinnerets at the end of the body. Thick hair pads on their legs and ‘feet’ allow these spiders to easily climb glass or smooth plastic walls,” according to Queensland Museum.

Its body can grow up to six centimeters and it can have a leg span of 16 centimeters. Although they are poisonous, with their fangs growing up to a centimeter in length, they are not powerful enough to kill humans.

“Their bite is quickly fatal to dogs and cats, but only one report of serious illness from a bite to a human has occurred,” explained Queensland Museum.