Bizarre 'jumping spider' spotted in Dublin garden may be first ever sighting in Ireland

A red-bellied 'jumping' spider spotted in Dublin may be the first sighting of the bizarre eight-legged creature in Ireland according to experts.

The discovery was made in a garden in Monkstown and it's believed to be the first time that the tiny creature has been seen on our shores.

Known as 'Philaeus Chrysops', the unique spider is normally found in warmer climates such as China, Korea or in southern Europe.

The spider is known to jump on its prey but the species is harmless to humans - which still won't be much of a relief to arachnophobes.

And even more bizarrely, they have the ability to throw a web into the air from their abdomen which can carry them for thousands of miles.

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Jumping spiders are as little as 7–12 millimetres with males having a orange-red stomach while the females have a more orange and brown coloured one.

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"These spiders have a trick, they'll actually throw a web from their abdomen into the air and drift off into the stratosphere and they can travel for hundreds and thousands of miles."

Collie Ennis, a researcher at Trinity College's Zoology Department said: "A lot of times you'd expect to find these imported on plants but when you see them outside that indicates that they're moving in naturally.