As the UK edges closer to spring, most Britons are dreaming of a holiday in Spain. However, one eight-legged traveler decided to take the opposite route—hitching a ride from Cordoba to Sussex in a shipment of olives.
The enormous arachnid, later identified as a Spanish funnel-web spider (Macrothele calpeiana)—Europe’s largest spider—was discovered by a nursery owner in West Sussex. The owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, recounted the eerie encounter:
“My son, who was driving the forklift, spotted it moving across the yard. He called me and said, ‘There’s something big just walked under a pot.’ It must have come in with the olives we bought from Cordoba.”
Rather than unleashing mass panic, the spider found an unlikely savior in Jack Casson, a spider enthusiast from Hartlepool, who decided to take her in.
Meet Bessie, the UK’s Newest (and Biggest) Spider Resident
Despite her imposing size, the spider—now named Bessie—is settling well into her new home in the northeast of England. Casson, clearly unfazed by her presence, shared:
“She has a huge appetite, having eaten five crickets since I took her in. My girlfriend named her Bessie.”
Though venomous, the Spanish funnel-web spider isn’t medically significant—meaning a bite would be painful but not deadly. Casson reassured, “I don’t plan on finding out firsthand!”
For now, Bessie seems content spinning webs in her enclosure, far from the sun-drenched olive groves of Spain. But for anyone receiving Spanish olive shipments, it might be worth double-checking for any unexpected, extra-large stowaways.