A terrifying new spider has been discovered that kills and eats fish. Obviously it's been named Brian

Everyone likes a Brian don't they? Brian's a good guy. "You know Brian? Yeah, top lad isn't he?"

Well, no more.

A new species of spider has been discovered in Australia - and he's called Brian. The new critter's full name is Dolomedes briangreenei and it was unveiled at the ninth annual World Science Festival in Brisbane.

The spider is the size of a palm and can kill and eat creatures up to three times its size, including fish, tadpoles and even toads. Which is toad-ally terrifying.

It hunts by detecting vibrations and tiny waves in the freshwater streams it inhabits around Brisbane, skimming around on the surface before striking, taking them underwater before moving on to dry land to eat its victims.

His name has been inspired by Brian Greene, a string theorist and professor at Columbia University, who founded the Science festival back in 2008.

So, no, you and I shouldn't be too scared of Bri, but he's still pretty big and, knowing how Australia effectively tries to kill everyone that lives there, we can't rule out him operating as a decoy to alarm you into moving toward some other godforsaken animal that's lying in wait to destroy you.

Sweet dreams everyone.

(Image: Queensland Museum)