Don't tell us killer spiders are a thing now?
The future of Ireland's only native species of Lizard could be in jeopardy, after a specimen was found to have been eaten by an alien killer spider.
In a stomach churning case, a false Widow Spider, an invasive species introduced into Ireland from the Canary Islands 20 years ago, was found to have trapped the lizard in a web.
And was consequently wrapping it up in silk and eating it.
The gross event took place in a house in Killiney, Co Dublin, in May last year.
It is the first recorded incident of a false widow spider eating a lizard in Ireland.
The false widow spider is more venomous, lives longer and breeds faster than the common house spider in Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin researcher Collie Ennis says the findings are evidence of the impact that the false widows are having on native species.
“This is the first time that we have heard of a vertebrate (an animal with a back bone) being killed by one of these spiders,” he said
“It wouldn’t be difficult for a false widow to overpower a small animal like this. This one came a cropper because he wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time.
“When you introduce non-native animals into a new habitat, it can cause chaos. Look at the cane toads in Australia. ”
Let's hope this doesn't become a thing! The last thing we need in Ireland is killer spiders!
