The Sydney funnel spider, named Hercules, was found on the Central Coast, about 80 kilometers from Sydney. An investigation by spider experts working at a nearby park revealed that the animal is the largest male specimen of this species ever found in Australia.
Hercules is 7.9 cm tall.
In its dimensions, it surpassed the 2018 “record holder” of the Australian Reptile Park, Colossus.
Sydney funnel spiders typically range from 1 to 5 centimeters in length. Females grow larger than males, and their bite is less toxic. They live mostly in forested and suburban areas, from Sydney north to Newcastle and west to the Blue Mountains.
Hercules will participate in the reptile park's antidote program, where a life-saving antidote is produced from venom extracted from spiders.
“We are used to spiders with relatively large funnel webs arriving at the park, but we hit the jackpot with this giant male,” said Emma Tenney, Australian Reptile Park keeper, stressing that this animal is of great value to them. Because they know an enormous amount of poison from a sample this size.
No person has died in Australia from a funnel-web spider bite since the Australian Reptile Park's poison control program began in 1981.
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