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Sometimes a Banana Is Not Just a Banana: Mom Finds the World’s Deadliest Spider — With a Racy Side-Effect — in Store-Bought Bananas (Our Non-TV Story of the Day)

Mar 13, 2015  •  Post A Comment

A mom who brought home what she thought was just a bunch of bananas from the grocery store got a potentially lethal — and somewhat racy — surprise. ABC News reports that the British woman, Maria Layton, said she found a web in the bananas containing eggs from the Brazilian wandering spider.

Not only is the spider considered to be the world’s most venomous, but its venom can also reportedly cause a painful erection.

“The critter is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most venomous spider, with a neurotoxin so deadly it takes just 0.00000021 ounces to kill a mouse,” the story reports. “The spider’s venom made headlines in 2007, when scientists started to research if the venom could treat impotence, according to the BBC.”

Layton reportedly bought the bananas from a local Tesco grocery store.

“Layton told the Telegraph her daughter had asked for a banana and when she pulled it out, she found the large web,” the story reports.

She’s quoted telling the Telegraph: “I was so scared — I don’t like spiders at the best of times, but have read about the Brazilian wandering spiders and was very frightened about the potential threat.”

She reportedly put the infested banana in the freezer to kill the eggs.

“A spokeswoman for the grocery store, Tesco, where Layton bought the bananas, said they’ve apologized to the shocked mother of two,” the story reports.

In a statement, the company said: “We’ve apologised to Mrs. Layton and offered a gesture of goodwill. We’ve asked her to return the product to our store so we can conduct a full investigation.”

brazilian-wandering-spiderBrazilian wandering spider

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