If you've read the headline of this article and thought "Please, let this be some kind of sick joke" then we're sorry, we're truly sorry.
We're here to bring you the hard truth and some times the truth isn't nice: tarantulas can swim.
That's right, the eight-legged, hairy arachnids have been found to swim in the wild and captivity by using their front legs to paddle on the surface of the water. And what's worse, there's video evidence to prove it.
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*Shudder*.
Let's just get this over with:
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A video posted by Big Bend Ranch State Park-Texas Parks and Wildlife shows a tarantula having a solo swim. The furry fella appears to be moving across the water with ease as his limbs flap around in the water.
The video has resurfaced after first being posted in October and we think we speak for everyone when we say: "NOOOOOPE."
The horror was echoed by people in the comments. "Even the water isn't safe!!!" wrote one alarmed commenter.
"This is what they do when you flush them down the plug hole they swim back up," said another.
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"Well, moving to a tiny island for escape is out...," offered another. "I'll never get in the water again!" another proclaimed.
We feel you, we truly do.
According to a paper by Jason A. Dunlop of Manchester University, studies found that heavier, larger tarantulas tended to drown in large bodies of water, whereas lighter species stayed afloat thanks to "a layer of air trapped by the dense coat of hairs on the legs and body".
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As for their actual swimming technique, tarantulas tended to "pause for a short while, but then undertook a rapid flurry of legs" until they reached the edge of the water, with the fastest spider tested reaching roughly eight centimetre per second, faster than their normal walking speed.
But if you, too, are concerned about your chances of ever getting in the water again, then there's some good news as tarantulas are only thought to paddle in the case of emergencies such as falling it or getting chased by a predator - so there's no fear of one popping up in the lane next to you during your morning swim.
Phew!
Featured Image Credit: Pexels