The Australian Sydney Funnel-webs are the most venomous spiders in the world. The males are especially dangerous. Now a record specimen has been caught – and from now on it will help save lives.
A giant male Sydney funnel-web spider has been discovered north of Sydney. The dreaded Sydney Funnel-webs, as they are called in their homeland, are one of the most venomous spider species in the world and can kill a human in less than an hour. The specimen, named Hercules, is 7.9 centimeters long from leg tip to leg tip, surpassing the previous record holder Colossus, the Australian ‘Guardian’ reported on Friday, citing the Australian Reptile Park.
Colossus was captured in 2018 and was a millimeter smaller. Both animals were handed over to the reptile park north of Sydney. Normally, the infamous eight-legged creatures only grow to between one and five centimeters in size, with females clearly outnumbering males. The largest female discovered so far, called Megaspider, measures only slightly more: eight centimeters.
Poison as an antidote
The park is the only place in Australia where the males are milked for their venom to produce a so-called antidote. Reason: The males are five to six times more venomous than the females – and their venom is particularly suited to producing a life-saving antidote.
“We are used to quite large funnel webs being donated to the park, but receiving such a large male funnel web spider is like hitting the jackpot,” said spider expert Emma Teni. The specimen’s venom production is expected to be enormous and “incredibly valuable” to the park’s antivenom program.
There are 36 species of funnel web spiders. The male of the Sydney species (Atrax robustus), which occurs within 160 kilometers of the Australian metropolis, is the most dangerous – and has, for example,Together with the Brazilian wandering spider, it entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most poisonous spider in the world. There have been no deaths from animal bites in Australia since the reptile park program began in 1981.
(yam/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
