This wolf spider can probably put all its eight feet up for the day, having caught a gecko lizard almost twice its size.

The successful hunter was spotted dangling the lizard from its fangs in Brisbane, Australia, injecting it with venom to kill it.

Photographer Dan Ryan says he was ushering his three children to the car when he glimpsed the 'enormous' wolf spider and decided to capture the 'horrifying' sight.

Gruesome death: The gecko had been caught by the neck by the wolf spider, who was seen dangling it from its fangs as it prepared to enjoy dinner

Mr Ryan, 35, said: 'From afar, I thought it was a stick and a leaf, but when I got near it, I saw the huge spider with a gecko hanging from its mouth.

'I couldn't believe my eyes. It was incredible - but also really creepy. Not only the spider but the fact that there was a dead gecko hanging from its fangs. It was just so weird.

'I had to get up really close to take the photos and I was a bit scared it might jump on me.

'I've never seen a gecko being killed by a spider like that, and it's quite shocking because the gecko was longer in length. But obviously this spider went after bigger prey and won.

'I guess the spider eventually dragged the gecko away to eat it. I never saw it again.'

Not so tough now: Seen next to a plank on the fence, the spider appears much smaller

According to the Australasian Arachnology Society, wolf spiders can be found all around Australia and should be considered dangerous because their bite is poisonous - although not lethal to humans.

Wolf spiders are solo opportunistic hunters that pounce upon their prey as they find it and will even chase it over short distances.

Sometimes the arachnids will even wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow - which Dan believed is what might have happened in this case.

He added: 'The fence paling is dislodged, so I think the spider was hiding in there, and when the gecko came past he grabbed it.

'It didn't have a web. It looked like it has been lurking and hiding.

'We live in a really leafy area and there are always different sorts of creatures around and we've seen plenty of snakes and spiders. But nothing quite like this.'