A giant male funnel-web spider, named Hemsworth, has been donated to the Australian Reptile Park, setting a new record as the largest ever seen by the park's staff. The spider's venom will be used to create life-saving antivenom.
A ginormous and deadly funnel-web spider has been handed in to a reptile park in Australia , where staff said it was the largest of its kind they’d ever seen. Fittingly named Hemsworth, the spider spans 9.2 centimeters (about 3.6 inches) from foot to foot, according to the Australia n Reptile Park . It surpasses the record set by the park’s previous biggest, Hercules, which measured 7.9 centimeters (3.1 inches) and was donated in January 2024. “Hemsworth, he’s different.
He is the biggest spider,” said the park’s spider keeper Emma Teni, in a video posted on its official Facebook page. The spider is named after the Hemsworth brothers – Chris, Liam and Luke – who are among some of the most notable Australian actors in Hollywood. “This spider was just so big in comparison to his peers it reminded me of Chris Hemsworth and his brothers, and how they tower over the average person,” Teni told CNN affiliate Sky News Australia. The spider Hemsworth was handed in at one of the park’s drop-off locations in Newcastle, a coastal city around 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Sydney. Park staff first thought it was a female spider due to its size. However, upon closer inspection, they soon realized it was a male. According to the Australian Museum, the average length of a funnel-web spider’s body is 1 to 5 centimeters, with male spiders typically smaller than females. “We’re used to having pretty big funnel-web spiders donated to the park but receiving a male funnel-web this big is like hitting the jackpot,” Teni said to Sky News Australia. Hemsworth’s fangs will now be “milked” to extract venom, which will be turned into life-saving antivenom. Only male funnel-web spiders are milked as they are about six times more venomous than females. Funnel-webs, whose most dangerous species lives in and around Sydney, are known for their deadly, fast-acting venom. Before the antivenom was introduced in 1981, 13 people died as a result of funnel-web bite
Funnel-Web Spider Australia Reptile Park Antivenom Venomous Spider
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