A huge spider with fangs capable of piercing human nails was donated to an anti-venom program in Australia, prompting an appeal for its anonymous donor to step forward.
Dubbed the “Megaspider” (or Mega-spider in Portuguese), the arachnid measures 8 centimeters standing upright, with tusks 2 centimeters long, Australia’s Reptile Park said in a statement on Friday. .
With a body measuring two inches, it’s the biggest funnel-web spider the park has ever seen, he added.
“She is extraordinarily large and if we can get the public to deliver more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved because of the enormous amount of poison they can produce,” said Michael Tate, park educator. “We’re really looking forward to finding out where she came from in hopes of finding more HUGE spiders like her.”
According to the Australian Museum, the average body length of a funnel-web spider is 1 to 5 centimeters, which makes it one of the largest, but by no means the largest type of spider in Australia.
This title belongs to the tarantula, also known as the whistling spider, due to the noise it makes when provoked.
the body of the species Selenocosmia crassipes from the north, it can grow up to 6 centimeters in length, with a wingspan of 16 centimeters.
The funnel web spider or Atrax robustus it may be smaller, but they are “the most notorious members” of the country’s spider fauna, according to the Australian Museum website.
While not all of the 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.
“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 an icon of fear and fascination for locals,” says the museum.
Australia’s Reptile Park said the mega-spider’s fangs will be milked for venom, which can be turned into serum.
The spider was donated somewhere in the coastal area of Sydney or New South Wales, the Park added.
“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, hoping to find more large spiders, as they produce large amounts of venom for the anti-venom program.”
Translated text. Read the original in English.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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