Odd News
Largest male specimen of world’s most venomous spider found in Australia
The largest male specimen of the world’s most venomous spider has been found in Australia.
The deadly Sydney funnel-web spider was found on the Central Coast, about 50 miles north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital but has now found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park, where it will help save lives.
Spider experts from the park retrieved the arachnid and soon realised it was the largest male specimen ever discovered by a member of the public in Australia.
Dubbed “Hercules”, the spider measured 7.9cm (3.1in) from foot to foot, surpassing the park’s previous record-holder from 2018, a male funnel-web named “Colossus”.
Sydney funnel-web spiders have powerful fangs that can pierce a human fingernail and typically range in length from 1-5cm, with females being generally larger than males, though not as deadly.
They are predominantly found in forested areas and suburban gardens from Sydney to the coastal city of Newcastle in the north and the Blue Mountains to the west. Sky News