Jacob Vaughn, of South Toledo-Ohio, told WTOL he was rinsing off a head of broccoli in the sink when he spotted a large black widow spider crawling out of the bag, eeeww. Vaughn used a pair of tongs to grab a piece of broccoli the spider was on top of, carefully placing the dangerous little guy inside a Ziploc bag.
“The spider came out and started waving his hands. It was pretty obvious he was alive since he was throwing his hands in every direction. He did not seem pleased,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn sent a video of the encounter to his mother, where she then shared it on Facebook. Clearly, many people had a reaction and something to say about the video.
Black widow spiders are considered the deadliest arachnids in the U.S., with a venomous bite about 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake’s, according to National Geographic.
“In humans, bites produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult,” National Geographic explained in a post online.
Black widow spider bites can be fatal, especially for young children or the elderly, but they’re pretty rare. The spiders typically only use venom as a defense mechanism.
The spider broccoli was purchased at a Kroger store.
