Coles shopper's terrifying find crawling on donuts

Arachnophobes might want to tread with caution as they head for a sweet treat at their local Coles after one customer spotted an eight-legged intruder in the supermarket's bakery section.

Ben Thomas discovered a Huntsman spider crawling along packs of chocolate iced donuts, before filming the terrifying sight.

"Just an average day at the grocery store in Australia," he joked on Twitter as he shared the video.

It is unclear in which store Mr Thomas filmed the spider.

A Coles spokesperson said the supermarket had reached out to Mr Thomas over the discovery.

“Coles has an integrated pest management system, which primarily focuses on keeping pests out of our stores, then controlling pests should they find their way into our stores," the spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

"We were concerned to see this and have reached out to the customer to identify the store so we can ensure pest management measures are in place.”

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Several animal finds in Coles in past fortnight

The discovery is the third notable incident documented online of non-human life in stores in the past fortnight.

In late April, a pair of pigeons were filmed pecking away at loaves of bread at a Sydney Coles store.

While last week a Coles employee photographed a dead mouse inside a cardboard box used for storing mayonnaise bottles on shelves.

The supermarket again referred to its pest management system in both instances.

While Huntsman spiders, particularly the larger ones, often strike fear into many Australians, spider expert from Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences, Dr Lizzy Lowe, previously told Yahoo News Australia there is nothing to be afraid of.

She said that a misunderstanding of insects and spiders can often result in homeowners unnecessarily reaching for pesticides which can kill off “our good bugs”.

Huntsman spiders often keep homes free of others bugs such as cockroaches and mosquitos and pose little risk to humans.

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