A funnel-web spider measuring nearly 10 centimeters has been captured and taken to a reptile zoo in Australia. It beats the size record for this species recorded last year at the same park.
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The giant male, named Hemsworth after Australian brothers and actors Chris, Luke and Liam, measures 9.2 centimeters from paw to paw. Captured in Newcastle, about 120 kilometers north of Sydney, it became the largest funnel-web spider ever recorded, says the Australian Reptile Park.
“This spider was so large compared to its peers that it reminded me of Chris Hemsworth and his brothers, and how they tower above ordinary mortals,” said Emma Teni, the park’s spider manager, in a statement.
The funnel web spider that held the previous record, named Hercules, measured 7.9 centimeters from foot to foot.
Males of this arachnid species generally measure between 1 and 5 centimeters. Females are generally larger than males.
-“We thought for sure that he must be a female because of his size, but upon closer inspection, he is a boy,” Emma Teni points out in a video posted on Facebook.
Milking for antivenom
The zoo plans to “milk” Hemsworth to recover venom to produce an antidote to a potentially fatal bite from this venomous spider.
“We can only milk male funnel-web spiders due to the presence of atracotoxin in their venom,” says Emma Teni in the video.
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To obtain a single dose of antivenom, a spider must be milked between 150 and 200 times. This is why the zoo relies on donations of wild-caught spiders for its antivenom production program, adds Emma Teni.
Each year, up to 300 people are treated through the trafficking of funnel-web spiders, whose fangs can pierce a human fingernail.
— With information from CNN and Guardian
