‘Megaspider’ is the biggest of its kind we’ve ever seen, says Australian reptile park
“She is exceptionally large and if we can get the public to deliver more spiders like her, it will only save more lives due to the sheer amount of venom they can produce,†said Michael Tate, responsible for park education. “We are really looking forward to finding out where she came from in hopes of finding more MASSIVE spiders like her.”
According to the Australian Museum, the average body length of a funnel-shaped spider is 1-5 centimeters, making it a tall side. But it is by no means the largest type of spider in Australia.
This honor belongs to the tarantula otherwise known as the hissing spider, due to the noise it makes when provoked. The body of the Nordic species Selenocosmia crassipes can grow to 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) long, with a leg span of 16 centimeters (6.3 inches).
The funnel web spider or Robust Atrax may be smaller, but they are “the most notorious members” of the spider fauna in the country, according to the Australian Museum’s website.
While not all of the approximately 40 varieties of the species are dangerous, “several are known for their highly toxic and fast-acting venom”, with the male Sydney funnel-web spider linked to 13 human deaths recorded, the museum said. .
“This remarkable spider has become part of Sydney folklore and, although no deaths have been recorded since the introduction of antivenom in 1981, it remains an icon of fear and fascination for the people of Sydney.” , indicates the museum.
The Australian Reptile Park said Megaspider’s fangs will be milked for venom that can be turned into antivenom.
The spider was donated somewhere in the Sydney or NSW coastal region, the park added.
“It was in a Tupperware container without any label to indicate where it came from,” the statement said. “The keepers are eager to explore the region it came from in the hopes of finding more large spiders as they produce greater amounts of venom for the anti-venom program.”