It may look like a giant plastic spider prop from a haunted Halloween attraction, but it’s real.
A photo of a giant huntsman spider rescued in Queensland, Australia, last year, is blowing the collective minds of people on the Internet.
The spider, nicknamed “Charlotte,” was rescued by Barnyard Betty’s Rescue last year, according to a Facebook post shared by the rescue on Wednesday. The group said the spider was released back into the wild.
“She was a beautiful, calm spider, not aggressive in any way and like most spiders she just wanted to go about her business eating bugs and living in peace,” the group said in the post. "She didn't or doesn't need to be killed! Poor spiders are so misunderstood!"
According to the Facebook post, images of Charlotte were shared last year, but interest in the spider peaked this week.
While photos of the spider, make it look as large as a tree, huntsman spiders typically have leg spans up to 12 inches, and aren't considered dangerous to humans, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
The photos are taken at an “unusual perspective,” which makes the spider look larger than it is, Robert Raven, Queensland Museum's principal curator told ABC.
“It's quite a normal size of this species ... the placement of the tree behind it makes it look like it is as big as the tree,” he said.
So, will Charlotte get any bigger?
Raven told ABC, the Charlotte looks like an adult, so she’s likely reached her maximum leg span.
Born free, Charlotte!
Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.
PHOTOS: Creepy spiders
