February 12, 2016
SYDNEY (AFP) - A spindly spider has taken on a deadly brown snake -- and won -- in a very Australian telling of the story of David and Goliath.
Farmer Patrick Lees, from Weethalle about 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of Sydney, said he found the spindly-looking "daddy long legs" spider with the snake on Saturday.
"The snake was already dead, I made sure of that before I took the photo," he joked to AFP about the snake which is known for its deadly venom.
"I'm not sure if the spider killed it with poison, it probably just got caught up (in a web)."
Lees' photo of the snake, strung up by its tail by spiders' webs and with the daddy long legs perched on it, has struck a chord since he posted it to The Aussie Farmer Facebook page.
He said he left the creature to its fate.
"I can't deny the spider its victory," Lees said.
"I'm not sure if it killed it but it definitely won in the long run."
The Australian Museum's Graham Milledge said it was possible the snake was killed by the spider but it was impossible to know for sure.
"The most likely scenario is that the snake got entangled in the spider's web," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Usually what happens then is the spider will try to wrap the snake and then they'll bite it."
