This Texas Creature Looks Like a Monster, But It’s Actually…

When my youngest daughter texted me this picture, many things ran through my head...and none of them were good.

That's my house near Lufkin, Texas.

That's my patio, that's my speaker, and that looks like a smiling zombie invader ready to pounce off the ceiling and make a fang deposit into any unsuspecting human. I mean, honestly, this thing could have given Sulley a run for his money as Top Scarer in 'Monsters, Inc.'

I was immediately concerned for the well-being of my daughter, my dogs, and my house.

Then, she sent me this video.

This video revealed two things.

1. It was a spider, and a rather small one, at that. Somehow, my daughter's photo angle managed to make the spider look like a demon creature about the size of a bowling ball...with a face.
2. My daughter, always one for being at the wrong place at the right time, captured my dog, Gryffin, doing the butt-scooting boogie.

I'll pause while you scroll back up to look again.

So, What Was The Creature?

Say hello to the Spiny Orb Weaver.

So, to highlight the keys of the video

• The Spiny Orb Weaver is not much bigger than a thumbnail
• Its bite is nothing to be too concerned about
• The female has a spiny body, and the male is smaller and doesn't have the spines
• If you walk into its web, you will show off moves funnier than Kung Fu Panda on his first training day.

READ MORE: This Texas City Has Been Named The 'Buggiest' In America

To summarize, although this guy looks like something you'd find at 'Spirit of Halloween', it's a Spiny Orb Weaver that's been known to capture and eat mosquitoes.

Just imagine being a bug caught in its web, and this is the last image you see!

(object in photo is much smaller than it appears...thankfully)