A woman started complaining of headaches without realising she had a spider living in her ear.
The patient, identified only as Lekshmi L, decided to attend hospital after she was no longer able to withstand the pain and irritation - but doctors who examined her were shocked to find that one of the air-breathing arthropods was actually living inside her ear canal without her being aware.
Dr Santosh Shivaswamy, of the hospital in Bengaluru, India, told the Indian Express newspaper: ''It's rare to see a live spider moving inside someone's ear canal.''
Meanwhile, the patient commented: ''I was terrified as I could feel movement of a creature in my ear.''