Responding to a call from Amityville police, the Suffolk County...

Responding to a call from Amityville police, the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rescued a female rose-haired tarantula found in a plastic container in front of a home, the SPCA said. (April 4, 2013) Credit: SCSPCA

A rose-haired tarantula has been rescued from outside an Amityville home, the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Thursday.

The society was alerted to the find by local police, and Suffolk SPCA chief Roy Gross said the large arachnid was found in a plastic container in front of a Grand Avenue home.

A Massachusetts wildlife sanctuary representative, on Long Island to retrieve about 40 reptiles and other animals from a Medford home, took the tarantula.

All tarantulas are venomous, and bites can cause "serious discomfort," Gross said, though he's heard of no human fatality. "Tarantulas are not the best choice as a pet."

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