A Scots mum was left horrified after discovering what she believed to be a poisonous spider outside of her home.
Marieanne Killen found the critter lurking around the garden of her property in Musselburgh yesterday afternoon.
The 32-year-old described the creature as being orange and black in colour with hairy legs.
In a state of panic, Marieanne took no chances and killed the spider before it had the chance to enter her house.
The mum-of-two later took to social media to find out what type of spider it was she'd seen.
Many questioned if the exotic looking species was in fact an escaped pet.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Marieanne told of the ‘crunch’ she heard as she stood on the critter.
She said: “I found it yesterday around 2.30pm, at my back door in Musselburgh.
“I had stepped out the door and freaked out and shouted at my friend saying, ‘what the hell is this!’
“We took a picture from the front of it and in its back then squished it.
“I had to kill it so it didn't enter my house. I’ve seen one that size before just not that colour or with hairy legs.
“It was a creepy horrible thing in my words. It had an orange and black shell with hairy legs.
“I stood on it and heard it crunch so it was definitely dead.”
Marienne shared the shocking picture to a Facebook group yesterday captioned: “Anyone know what kind of spider this horrible looking thing is?”
The skin-crawling social media post gained dozens of likes and hundreds of comments.
Many people questioned whether it was someone's exotic lost pet rather than a wild spider.
One user said: “Omg that thing would have stood on us never mind standing on it.”
Another joked: “Run just run.”
One exclaimed: “Surely an escaped pet?”
While one added: “If it doesn't fit in my hoover it can have the house.”
The species appears to be a garden or diadem spider which gets its name from the pattern on its back.
The critter comes in many colour forms including brown, yellow-green and orange.
Locals will be pleased to know despite its creepy appearance the garden spider’s venom isn't poisonous, and the bite would feel similar to a bee sting, with only minor pain and swelling.
