Spider-keeper Jake Meney holding a “megaspider” is transformed into the Australian Reptile Park.
Australian Reptile Park
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Australian Reptile Park
Spider-keeper Jake Meney holding a “megaspider” is transformed into the Australian Reptile Park.
Australian Reptile Park
This is your scary warning. Read on at your own risk.
An Australian zoo has acquired the largest funnel web spider they have ever seen.
Measured at 8cm, so-called megaspider possesses a potentially lethal bite with fangs strong enough to pierce a human fingernail.
The spider was anonymously turned over to Reptile Park Australia, about an hour’s drive north of Sydney, as part of the zoo’s anti-venom program.
“Having MEGASPIDER assigned to the venom program is amazing, in my 30+ years working at the Park I’ve never seen a funnel web spider this big!” Michael Tate, education officer at Reptile Park Australia, said in a statement.
The giant spider possesses a potentially lethal bite with fangs strong enough to pierce a human fingernail.
Australian Reptile Park
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Australian Reptile Park
The giant spider possesses a potentially lethal bite with fangs strong enough to pierce a human fingernail.
Australian Reptile Park
Those who find funnel web spiders can turn them into a zoo, where their venom is squeezed and sent to a pharmaceutical company in Melbourne, where it is made into an antivenom. The Australian Reptile Park estimates the anti-venom program, which it says is the only program of its kind in the country, saves 300 lives a year.
Funnel web spiders are one of only two types of spiders that have caused deaths in Australia in the past, according to the Australian Museum. (The other is the redback.) There have been no deaths from spider bites in the country since 1979.
The zoo is now hoping to find an anonymous donor for the “megaspider,” as it could lead them to an area inhabited by other large arachnids that normally produce larger amounts of venom for an anti-venom program. Zoo officials said they received the spider at one of the drop-off points in an unmarked Tupperware container.
“She is unusually large and if we can get the public to turn over more spiders like her, it will only lead to more lives being saved due to the enormous amount of venom they can produce. out,” said Tate. “We really wanted to find out where she came from in hopes of finding more MASSIVE spiders like her.”
