A WOMAN from Cirencester made a startling discovery on Monday when she spotted a wolf spider in her garden - carrying hundreds of babies on her back.

Claire Sloman posted the pictures of the spider to Facebook, which she described as being 'about the size of a 50p' with her babies bound to her body with silk.

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"Sat here in my garden and spotted this little lady with all her babies!" Claire posted with the pictures shown here.
Comments on the post ranged from people exclaiming their horror, to others expressing their delight at the pictures.
One of those who replied to the photos was Margaret Jenkins, who described the scene as 'beautiful'.

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Wolf spiders are the largest species of spider in Europe and can grow up to 7cm in diameter.

The creature has two large eyes, and six smaller ones on its head.

It is venemous, but they rarely bight and its poison is not fatal - although it can cause a nasty swelling similar to the reaction that a hornet might cause.

Now watch this amazing video of baby wolf spider's eyes making their mum 'glitter' in the dark: