Arachnophobia: Video shows venomous spider that has invaded Scotland eating rodent for dinner

It has been present in the south of England for a century, but populations have become established much further north in recent years, including Scotland – with sightings as far afield as Orkney, Aberdeen and South Lanarkshire.

The doomed pygmy shrew – a protected mammal – was spotted by Dawn Sturgess after becoming entangled in a false widow’s web at her home in West Sussex, in the south of England.

The eight-legged predator then attacked, paralysing its victim with a powerful neurotoxin, before hoisting it up into the rafters of the room and wrapping it in silk to be eaten at its leisure. The spider spent three days devouring the meal.

The incident, which comes after documented cases of false widows killing small animals, has sparked fears over the alien spider’s potential impact on threatened wildlife.

This is the third case of a protected vertebrate species falling prey to the arachnid in Ireland or the UK in recent years,. It represents the eighth type of animal known to fall prey to members of the false widow family Steatoda.

The noble false widow now appears to be a regular vertebrate-eating spider, according to scientists from Ireland who have been studying a wide range of characteristics specific to the species, including its venom, the effects of its bite, ecology and behaviour.

Dr Michel Dugon, head of the Venom Systems Lab at the University of Galway’s Ryan Institute, said: “This observation demonstrates further that the noble false widow is perfectly adapted to take down large prey, combining potent venom, extremely strong silk, and complex hunting behaviour.”

The researchers are also encouraging people to submit their own sightings of the spiders.

Dr John Dunbar, Irish Research Council post-doctoral fellow at the lab, added: “The noble false widow is a very intriguing spider and we have much to learn about it still.”