Black widow spider found in Aberdeen
A black widow spider has been found in Aberdeen, Scotland, after coming in on a shipment from the US.
Employees at the Kirkhill Industrial Estate in Dyce found the potentially deadly insect in a piece of pipe sent for testing from America, reports the BBC.
The workers contacted the Scottish SPCA, which found the spider a new home with Nick Martin, who runs an exotic animal rescue charity in Inverness.
Animal Rescue Officer Karen Hogg told the Herald Scotland: ""The callers waited until I arrived rather than attempting to catch it themselves, which was very wise as black widows are highly venomous.
"A bite would leave you feeling very unwell and, if suffering from an underlying medical condition, it could even prove fatal."
She added they were "delighted" the spider had been given a new home by Nick, who has the "expertise and experience" to care for it properly.
It's not the first time a black widow spider has hitched a ride to the UK from the US.
Back in November 2012, a female black widow was discovered at a business near Great Yarmouth - along with a small cocoon, which produced about a hundred spiderlings just hours later.
ITV News reports that staff managed to trap the spider under a glass, before pest control teams arrived and quickly realised that it was a Black Widow.
It is believed that the spider came on a container from Texas.
Black widows are native to the US and can live for around two years. Female adult black widows are distinctive thanks to the red hourglass on their backs.
Adult male black widows are half the size of the females, and are usually grey or brown rather than black and red.
The female black widow has unusually large venom glands and its bite is particularly harmful to humans. However, bites rarely kill humans if proper medical treatment is provided.
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