Australia’s Reptile Park welcomes mega-spider with nail-piercing capability

A fanged spider capable of piercing human nails was donated to an anti-venom program in Australia, prompting an appeal from its unnamed donor to move on.

Called a “megaspider” (or mega-spider in Portuguese), the arachnid stands 8 centimeters upright, with tusks 2 centimeters long, Australia’s Reptile Park said in a statement on Friday.

He said that with a body of two inches, it is the largest funnel-web spider ever seen in the park.

Park teacher Michael Tate said, “She is extraordinarily large and if we can get the public to distribute more spiders like her, it may only save more lives because they produce enormous amounts of venom.” can do.” “We’re really curious to find out where she came from in the hopes of finding bigger spiders like hers.”

According to the Australian Museum, a funnel-web spider has an average body length of 1 to 5 cm, making it one of the largest, but by no means the largest type of spider in Australia.

The title is related to the tarantula, also known as the whistling spider, because of the noise it makes when excited.

body of species selenocosmia crassipes From the north, it can grow up to 6 cm in length with a wingspan of 16 cm.

funnel web spider atrax robustus It may be small, but according to the website of the Australian Museum, they are the “most notorious members” of the country’s spider fauna.

While not all 40 or so strains of the species are dangerous, “many are known for their highly toxic and fast-acting venom,” with the male Sydney funnel spider linked to all 13 recorded human deaths, the museum said.

The museum states, “This remarkable spider has become part of Sydney folklore, and while no deaths have been recorded since the introduction of an antivenom in 1981, it remains a symbol of awe and fascination for locals. “

Australia’s Reptile Park said the mega-spider’s fangs would be milked for the venom, which can be turned into serum.

The park said the spider had been donated somewhere in the coastal region of Sydney or New South Wales.

“It was in a Tupperware container with no label to indicate where it came from,” the statement said. “Keepers are eager to find out where it came from, and are hoping to find more large spiders, as they produce large amounts of venom for the anti-venom program.”

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