This Man Found 81 Terrifying Spiders in His Christmas Tree, and You Need to See Them

It may be time to take your Christmas decorations down, even if it seems a little too soon. We doubt you'll be arguing with this once you see the 81 spiders this man found in his tree: one, absolutely giant mother and 80 newly born babies.

A photo of the huge, black mother spider residing on an intricate web within the tree was posted to the private Facebook group Everything Sutherland Shires, which keeps local residents in the loop on the Australian local government area. One of those things, apparently, is creepy crawlers and the odd places they happen to be found.

Not only was the mama spider perched perfectly in the tree, but photos including some of her spawn were posted to the Facebook group, too. You can see them all here.

We've certainly seen our fair share of odd, Australian creature encounters. In the last month alone, we've reported on an odd video of a frog eating a snake—yes, an unlikely predator that was literally cheered for by the people filming—and a terrifying snake slithering on a baby's stroller.

And while the spider unequivocally fits into the "nope" category, it sounds like it wasn't nearly as threatening as it could have been. The black spider, while big and intimidating, is apparently an Australian house spider. They're scary, but not poisonous.

Don't get us wrong; we're not looking to have our own Christmas tree critter encounter. But there's actually a piece of folklore that supports spiders weaving webs into Christmas trees. A European tall tale suggests a poor woman once couldn't decorate her tree. So, in a similar fashion to Snow White's forest creatures, the spider wove beautiful webs to bring the family joy.

Some cultures even put spider-shaped ornaments in their Christmas trees to preserve the good fortune and kindness of the creative creatures. So, maybe the man was gifted with his own little Christmas miracle; if you believe the story that is.

For Australian tree buyers in the coming years, it's important to know this isn't a totally isolated incident. Anyone purchasing a real tree, anywhere in the world, risks bringing unwelcomed visitors into their home. In Australia, though, some specific pests are outlined.

It may not be happy news to hear that there are around 25,000 types of insects, including spiders, that could be lurking in your Australian Christmas tree, according to the University of Bergen. In addition to spiders, cockroaches and moths are some of the most common tree finds. So, beware when buying.