These days, whenever Christopher Taylor heads out in his car around Australia, he’s never truly riding solo.
For the past year, he’s had an unusual travel companion — a massive huntsman spider he affectionately named Steve.
“She first showed up about a year ago, right on the dashboard while I was waiting at a stoplight,” Taylor told LADBible. Since huntsman spiders aren’t harmful to humans, he decided to let her stick around.
Most of the time, Steve tucks herself away under the sun visor, hidden from view. And although a vehicle hardly seems like an ideal home for a spider, she’s managed to adapt surprisingly well. Over the months, Taylor has watched her grow to nearly twice her original size.
Taylor admits he barely notices her anymore, but new passengers rarely react as calmly. “When I have people in the car, they usually panic or scream,” he said. “Steve definitely keeps me on my toes while driving.”
Eventually, Steve may crawl out of the car for good — or perhaps relocate to a shinier model — but for now, Taylor says he’s more than happy to share the road with her.
“Having her around makes driving a lot more exciting,” he added.