➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Xbox spider spotted

• 🕷️ An extremely rare ‘Xbox’ spider has been spotted in Australia

• 💚 The green orb-weaver spider has a cross on its back that looks like the Xbox logo

• 😓 Orb-weaver spiders are mostly harmless, but a bite can result in mild pain

• ☔️ More spiders are appearing in Australia due to flooding and torrential rain

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a spider with an Xbox logo on its back. And yes, believe it or not, it’s 100% real and not some sort of bizarre marketing stunt by Microsoft.

A picture of the Xbox-branded arachnid was posted by Kim Proudlove, who spotted the green little critter scurrying around in Victoria, Australia. The luminous green spider is from the orb-weaver family, which is a common type of spider in Australia.

However, finding a green orb-weaver with two markings on its back is extremely rare, according to spider expert Nik Willmott, and the green complexion naturally draws comparisons to Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S consoles. Speaking of which, if you can’t decide which Xbox to buy, read our Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S comparison.

Speaking to Yahoo News, PhD candidate Wilmott said: “It’s probably the speckled orb-weaver or green orb-weaver, depending on who you ask. I don’t see the fainter longitudinal stripe as much, and having both stripes on the same spider is even rare.”

Proudlove’s spider sighting came after Australians were recently warned of an increase in eight-legged friends due to floods and heavy rain. And while the orb-weaver is considered mostly harmless – bites will usually result in mild pain, numbness, swelling and could anger PlayStation fans (I kid) – the rain is also encouraging the more dangerous funnel-web and redback spiders to enter people’s homes.

"A lot of funnel-webs and redbacks have been brought out because of the rain, the flooding. They're also leaving to mate," Mr Yehia told Yahoo News back in November. "There’s more food, so they're breeding more. The population is exploding."

What would you do if you saw the Xbox spider in your home? Yell “PlayStation is better” or marvel at its rather impressive design? I know what I’d do, personally.

Sorry, I’m not a fan of spiders – even ones that are gamified. Come to mention it, some of the best Xbox Series X games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Cuphead have spiders in them, and you can squash them without any fear of being bit.