An Australian man has revealed a photo of a small hole in his garden where thousands of people lock their doors and seek protection.
The man discovered a deep hole the size of a coin in his garden and immediately wondered what it could mean.
“I’m in Adelaide Hills. Can anyone tell me what lives here?” He asked.
After sharing the photo online, many decided the hole looked like the residence of a wolf spider or trapdoor spider.
According to Australian Museumthe lack of a “door” above the hole was common to both species, as not all of them create doors for their burrows.
An Australian man has revealed a photo of a small hole in his garden where thousands of people lock their doors and seek protection.
Trapdoor spiders live underground in burrows covered with doors made of leaves or sticks to hide from predators.
Hundreds of people rushed to the man’s aid and shared stories of run-ins with the species.
“It’s probably the burrow of a trapdoor spider,” one said. “Most of them don’t really build doors.”
“There are thousands of these holes in the park across from my house. They are all trapdoor spiders,” wrote another. “I get a kick every time I see people sunbathing or sitting on the grass, oblivious to the horror below them.”
While others were convinced it was a wolf spider, which lives on the ground in dead leaves or in burrows, and is often found in lawns and gardens.
“Absolutely a lycosid spider (wolf spider) burrow,” replied another. “Unfortunately trapdoors are in decline, the vast majority of burrows you find (anywhere in your lawn or native bush) will be wolf spider burrows.”
“I’ll never forget the time I tried to catch and release a large wolf spider under a container, only to discover it was covered in hundreds of baby wolf spiders – which were small enough to escape in all directions,” one woman shared.
According to the Australian Museum, the lack of a “door” above the hole was common among trapdoor spiders, as not all spiders create doors for their burrows.
