Jesse McLean, Toronto Star staff reporter

Brett James brought the mother of all show-and-tell novelties to his Yorkville office Wednesday: a black widow spider he found in his fridge.

The public affairs consultant was fetching U.S. red grapes from his crisper the night before when he spotted the dime-sized invader.

Using a paper towel, he scooped up the arachnid, which had gone dormant in the fridge's chill, and placed it in a plastic container. Some research on his computer confirmed the spider's identity through the red hourglass marking on its belly.

"That's when I made sure to clean out the rest of the fridge," he said.

And why was he toting around a dangerous spider? "I'm hoping I can find her a home at the zoo or the ROM," he said. "There's no reason for her to die."

It's not all that unusual for a black widow to travel north on a bunch of grapes, Royal Ontario Museum entomologist Antonia Guidotti said.

For full article, click here.