The Australian Reptile Park has been encouraging the public to catch funnel-web spiders for its antivenom program. The captured spiders will have their venom extracted from them. Said venom is transformed into antivenom, which saves 300 lives each year.
Recently, the Park has received a Tupperware container with no labels as to where it came from. Inside it was a funnel-web spider that surprised many because of its unusual size. Measuring at 8cm, with fangs around 2cm, the spider is similar to the size of a tarantula and could theoretically bite through human fingernails.
The Park has aptly named the donated spider "MEGASPIDER."
Learn more about the story over at the Australian Reptile Park.
(Image and video credit: Australian Reptile Park)
Spider keeper Jack Meney with the MEGASPIDER.