'I found a giant huntsman spider in my Tesco bananas - with a sac containing 200 of its babies'
- Craig Harrison, 35 from Windsor, found giant spider in his Tesco banana bag
- Venomous bite from the massive spider can cause vomiting and heart problems
A shopper reeled back in horror when he found a giant huntsman spider in his bag of Tesco bananas.
Craig Harrison, 35, had already peeled and eaten one of the bananas from the bunch before he noticed the female spider - and an egg sac containing 200 of its babies.
The arachnid is one of the largest in the world and can have a leg span of up to half a foot across.
Mr Harrison, and IT worker from Windsor, Berkshire, said he was in 'shock' when he saw the spider and that he 'stumbled backwards' losing his balance.
He became even more disgusted after he saw that the 'scary and evil-looking' creepy-crawly had an egg sac, which can carry up to 200 baby huntsman spiders.
A shopper reeled back in horror when he found a giant huntsman spider in his bag of Tesco bananas (pictured)
Craig Harrison (pictured), 35, had already peeled and eaten one of the bananas before he noticed the female spider - and an egg sac containing 200 of its babies
Mr Harrison managed to get the spider into a Tupperware so he could send it to Tesco's pest control service - who reportedly confirmed the arachnid came from banana suppliers based in the Dominican Republic
What is a huntsman spider?
A huntsman spider in a rainforest habitat
Huntsman spiders are large spiders with long legs that can measure up to 6in across.
They are often confused for tarantulas because they are also hairy.
The arachnids are found in Australia, New Zealand, south-east Asia, the Mediterranean, Florida and Hawaii.
As adults they do not build webs but hunt and forage for food.
Female huntsmans produce a flat, oval egg sac of white papery silk which can contain up to 200 eggs. They can be quite aggressive when protecting their babies.
The shopper is now battling for compensation from supermarket Tesco, saying that he did not previously think he was scared of spiders but this encounter might have changed that, the Sun reports.
He managed to get the spider into a Tupperware so he could send it to Tesco's pest control service - who reportedly confirmed the arachnid came from banana suppliers based in the Dominican Republic.
The spider was identified as a huntsman by the London Zoological Society, according to The Sun. The spiders are attracted to bananas and can be caught hiding in them.
Their venomous bite is not deadly but it can cause vomiting, headaches and heart palpitations.
Tesco have since reportedly apologised to Mr Harrison and have offered him £100 in compensation after his experience, but he has said he wants more.
He said that the money 'doesn't even come to a big weekly shop' and that he could have been hurt if he had been bitten by the female spider - or he could have even accidentally taken a bite out of her.
Tesco's banana supplier has reportedly increased checks to stop the spiders hitching a lift to the UK.
The supermarket told The Sun: 'We have robust processes to prevent spiders travelling with our fruit but on very rare occasions they can sometimes sneak through.'
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