The handlers of an Australian reptile sanctuary were stunned to see a massive three-inch funnel web spider that can rip through fingernails.
This eight-legged creature, known as the Megaspider, was surrendered to the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales.
The average animal measures between one and five centimetres (0.33 to 1.9 in.) This led to an investigation to discover who gave it to the park.
The eight-centimetre funnelweb spider nicknamed the “Megaspider” was brought to the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales. It is pictured wearing a park cap.
According to the park, Megaspider is their largest funnel-web ever.
In a Tupperware container (pictured), the animal was brought to one of several park drop-off points.
Members of the public are encouraged to catch funnel-web Spiders safely for the park’s anti-venom program. The park claims that the Megaspider is their largest ever.
Michael Tate (Education Officer, Australian Reptile Park) said, “Having Megaspider hand into the venom programme is so amazing, in over 30 years at the park I have never seen funnel-web spiders this large!
“She’s unusually large, and we need to get more people to surrender spiders similar to her. This will save more lives due to their enormous amounts of poison.
“We’re really curious to learn where she’s from, in order to discover more large spiders of her size,”
The whistling spider is Australia’s most large spider species. It belongs to the Tarantula family. This spider gets its name because of the loud noise it makes when being provoked.
Jake Meney is a spider keeper and Megaspider will be at the Australian Reptile Park where she will get milked for her poison.
The Megaspider is seen dwarfing a standard-sized funnel-web in a side-byside photo
While funnel-webs can be smaller than others, many of them are still well-known for their fast and toxic venom.
According to the Australian Reptile Park, rainy and humid conditions have provided ideal conditions for funnel web spiders (Pictured Megaspider crawling on a glove).
Australian Reptile Park referred to Megaspider (photo next a coin) as being’massive.
The Australian Museum states that the body size of a Selenocosmia Crassipes, or whistling spider, can exceed six centimetres (6.8 inches) in length and can have a leg span of 16 centimetres (16.3 inches).
Although funnel-webs can be smaller than others, many are still well-known for their ability to deliver venom that is ‘highly toxic, fast acting, and highly addictive’.
There have been 13 fatalities in Australia linked to them, and all of these deaths were caused by Sydney Funnel Webs males.
“This extraordinary spider has been a part Sydney’s folklore. Although no deaths have occurred since 1981’s introduction of antivenom, it is still an icon of fear, fascination, and terror for Sydneysiders,” the museum’s website says.
According to the Australian Reptile Park, funnel-web spiders thrive in humid and rainy weather.
This park, the only one in the nation, milks the funnel-web spiders to extract their raw venom. It is responsible for saving as many as 300 lives each year.
According to the park, funnel-web spiders get their venom from milking every week. It is then sent to Seqirus Melbourne for treatment.
Since its inception, the program is believed to have saved over 25,000 lives.
13 facts about the funnel-web spiders. They are regarded as the deadliest species in the world, and they hunt at night. However, they can live in water for up 30 hours.
Funnel web spiders are burrowers who surface at night to hunt prey and find mates (Pictured: The ‘Megaspider’ funnel web handed into Australian Reptile Park)
1. Because of their strong venom, funnelweb spiders have been widely recognized as some of the most lethal spiders on the planet. They can lead to difficulty breathing, heart problems, disruptions in the nervous system, and even death.
2. The anti-venom has not caused any deaths from bites since its creation. Before the advent of the anti-venom only 13 people had been recorded to have died as a result of a bite.
3. If threatened, they exhibit aggressive behavior. They will reach for their fangs and raise their legs to show their fear.
4. There are over 40 different types of funnelweb spiders. While all can be found in Australia they are not all dangerous. Six species of them have inflicted injury on humans.
5. They are nocturnal and are most active at night when they hunt. Males also roam the streets in search for females during this time.
6. They are burrowers, using their silk to create their burrows in dark places such as under logs. This shape gives them their name, a long funnel.
7. They hunt from their burrows by laying long strands of silk across the ground outside of them. The vibrations of these silk strands are picked up by the spiders in their burrows as they walk across them. They can then’see’ where their prey are and jump out to grab them. These animals then return them to the burrow.
8. Females spend most of their time in their burrows and rarely leave. Prey they hunt are those that are close by. The males, on the contrary, are more active and will travel further to find females.
9. Because females seldom leave their burrows, all bites originate from the males. The males are the ones who get in touch with human beings. Because it has a toxin that females do not have, their venom can be five times as toxic.
10. Their fangs point down, which is unique to spiders, as most have fangs that work in a pinching motion.
11. They have been known for ripping leather shoes as well as fingernails with their fangs, which look like daggers.
12. You can keep them alive for as long as 30 hours underwater. They can even survive for up to 30 hours underwater, which is quite disturbing.
13. Their venom is extracted by milking them. To make its anti-venom, the spider venom is used. The public is encouraged to capture stray Spiders and give them to the’milkers’.
Source: Factanimal.com