Current:Home > StocksLargest male specimen of world’s most venomous spider found in Australia. Meet Hercules.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Largest male specimen of world’s most venomous spider found in Australia. Meet Hercules.
View Date:2024-12-23 21:05:54
Wildlife experts in Australia said they recently came into contact with the largest male specimen of the world's most venomous spider.
Measuring 7.9 cm (3.11 inches), the arachnid named Hercules is the biggest male funnel-web spider ever handed to the Australian Reptile Park, officials with the interactive zoo based in Somersby on Australia's Central Coast said.
For perspective, Hercules is bigger than a baseball. (Regulation baseballs measure between 2.86 to 2.94 inches in diameter.)
In a video posted on its Facebook page, park spider keeper Emmi Teni said at first she thought the spider was female.
"But upon closer inspection, he is definitely a male and has some the biggest fangs I've ever seen," Teni said.
According to park officials, males are typically much smaller than females.
What is a funnel-web spider?
Funnel-web spiders are potentially one of the most dangerous arachnids for humans, Dan Rumsey, a former reptile keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, previously told USA TODAY.
The spider has a venom packed with 40 different toxic proteins and its raw venom is the only way to make life-saving antivenom.
If bitten by one, the park recommends keeping the affected limb still, applying a bandage and seeking medical attention immediately.
When is spider season?Here's when you see more eight-legged roommates around the house
Hercules will create life-saving antivenom
Hercules was recently handed to John Hunter Hospital at one of the wildlife sanctuaries' spider drop-off locations, Temi said.
"Hercules is absolutely huge as is his venom yield," Temi said. "The person who contributed this spider is helping us save lives."
The spider will go on to join the park's "funnel-web spider venom program" where his venom will be used to create antivenom.
Leaping lizards:South Carolina fears non-native tegu lizards could take root and wreak ecological havoc
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
- Israeli protesters are calling for democracy. But what about the occupation of Palestinians?
- 'Potentially hazardous', 600-foot asteroid seen by scanner poses no immediate risk to Earth, scientists say
- California voters may face dueling measures on 2024 ballot about oil wells near homes and schools
- 'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed
- Getting to Sesame Street (2022)
- Woman escapes from cinderblock cell in Oregon, prompting FBI search for more possible victims
- Ginger has been used for thousands of years. What are its health benefits?
- Denver district attorney is investigating the leak of voting passwords in Colorado
- 'Big Brother' 2023 schedule: When do Season 25 episodes come out?
Ranking
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Investigators say weather worsened quickly before plane crash that killed 6 in Southern California
- Man linked to 1984 kidnapping and rape by DNA testing sentenced to 25 years
- This beer is made from recycled wastewater and is completely safe to consume
- Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
- USWNT captain Lindsey Horan dismisses Carli Lloyd's criticism as noise: 'You have no idea'
- Donna Mills on the best moment of my entire life
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Shares Glimpse Into Beachside Getaway With Travis Barker
Recommendation
-
Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
-
An 87-year-old woman fought off an intruder, then fed him after he told her he was ‘awfully hungry’
-
Deep-red Arizona county rejects proposal to hand-count ballots in 2024 elections
-
Why we love Wild Geese Bookshop, named after a Mary Oliver poem, in Fort Collins, Colo.
-
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
-
Francia Raísa Addresses Claim She Was Forced to Donate Kidney to Selena Gomez
-
Trump is due to face a judge in DC over charges he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election
-
Mother of US soldier detained in North Korea says life transformed into 'nightmare'