A spider named after a mythological hero recently set a record in Australia for its impressive mass
The Australian Reptile Park (ARP) announced on Facebook on Wednesday that the facility recently received its “largest male funnel web spider”. The arachnid, named Hercules, was surrendered by a member of the public through the anti-venom program in the funnel web.
Australian Reptile Park/Instagram
According to the Associated Press, funnel web spiders are some of the most venomous spiders on the planet. ARP’s anti-venom program collects spider funnel webs from people who have caught arachnids in the wild. Experts then milk the collected spiders for their venom so that the material can be used to produce an antidote that saves lives.
According to the ARP website, since the park’s funnel web spider anti-venom program began in 1981, there has not been a single fatality from funnel web spiders.
Hercules, named for its size, measures 7.9 centimeters (or 3.1 inches). According to ARP’s statement on social media, female funnel web spiders are usually larger than males, but Hercules is as large as the largest female spider of the same species included in the park’s funnel web anti-venom program.
“When I first saw Hercules, I thought it must be a female because it was so big,” Emma Teni, a spider keeper at ARP, said in a video accompanying the park’s Facebook post. “But after a closer look, he’s definitely a male and has some of the biggest fangs I’ve ever seen.”
‘Big, beautiful species’ of giant spider discovered
The AP reported that Hercules was found on the Central Coast (about 50 miles north of Sydney) and brought to John Hunter Hospital, which serves as a spider release site for ARP’s anti-venom program. The park’s spider experts picked up the spider from the hospital and quickly realized that the arachnid was the largest male they had worked with.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Colossus, a male funnel-web spider, was the last arachnid to hold the record as ARP’s largest male in the anti-venom program. The spider joined the program in 2018. The program is home to more than 2,000 funnel web spiders, from babies to fully grown adults.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education