Creepy Crawly Alert: Tarantula On The Loose!

UPDATE: Oh thank goodness, it was a hoax.

If you see a gigantic spider in the neighborhood today, don’t freak out! Well, maybe freak out. But then helpfully scoop her up in some tupperware and get her back to her owner.

A Reddit user posted this photo to a thread yesterday, and it’s already making the rounds, ending up in the Post and Gothamist this morning, because yikes, pregnant tarantula!

“I know she looks crazy scary, but she’s mostly harmless [emphasis ours],” the poster reads, describing Penelope the Mexican Red Rump tarantula. And of course, this has the potential to get much, much worse: “She’s pregnant, so I’m hoping to find her before she has her babies.”

Echoing every terrified thought in our head, neighbor Amanda Venturi, who alerted us to the story, says: “Hopefully it’s a hoax.”

Unfortunately, if it is indeed real, there’s not a lot of helpful information to be had — no note of streets where Penelope was last seen, and the phone number has been cut off. So if anyone has actually seen this poster, or happens to know the owner, please comment below so if someone comes across this jumpy pet, they can be reunited.

Photo via Imgur