As if funnel web spiders weren't already large enough... Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons
A zoo in Australia has come into possession of one of the largest funnel web spider specimens ever found.
As if the spiders in Australia weren't bad enough already, a gargantuan female funnel web spider measuring a whopping 8cm across was recently donated to Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, New South Wales as part of its ongoing anti-venom program.
The spider is particularly unusual because funnel web's usually only grow to a maximum of 5cm.
"In my 30-plus years at the park, I have never seen a funnel web spider this big," said the park's education officer Michael Tate.
"She is unusually large and if we can get the public to hand in more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved due to the huge amount of venom they can produce."
"People can bring any collected spiders to the reptile park itself. However, if they can't get to us, we have drop off zones around Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle and all facilities are provided with a spider safety kit to house the spiders until the Australian Reptile Park staff can come and pick them up each week."
Funnel web spiders are a particularly deadly species, with the largest specimens reportedly being capable of biting through fingernails and even shoes.
With any luck, this particular monster's venom will go on to help save many lives.
think that's bad? lol honestly she's not terribly oversized, they get pretty large? but in terms of the pure terror factor, I'll introduce you to one of my favorites...the Japanese Giant Funnel Web, aka Macrothele gigas. They're also astonishingly fast whereas Sydney Funnel Webs may be a bit slower. they can also commonly have red fang sheaths and glowing eyes. no comprehensive toxicity studies have been done, to my knowledge, but they're potentially lethal and the only advice is, "don't get bitten" ohhhh and they grow 5-6", twice the size of this one https://youtu.be/rJ_5kv1twkU
whatever it can safely subdue, although researchers were surprised to find out that the venom is only highly toxic to humans and other primates. a poodle or kitty could get bitten and they'd be fine outside of maybe a gruesome mechanical wound from the very powerful fangs. those are basically what the do the prey in, the venom is just a backup. there are trapdoor spiders from Malaysia that have such powerful mandibles that they are caught in between evolution; they have venom glands, but there's now no duct leading it to the fangs, therefore the spider has no way to inject it https://www.flick... [More]
and have very weak venom everyone references the Goliath while it has a contender, the Pink Foot Goliath (theraphosa stirmi) which I've HEARD can attain a 13" (33cm)legspan there's also the Giant Huntsman, Heteropoda maxima, that reaches a 13" legspan but they're very leggy without much body mass
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