The Australian Reptile Park receives its largest funnel-web spider ever, named Hemsworth after the Hemsworth brothers. This massive male spider will have its venom extracted to produce life-saving antivenom.
The Australian Reptile Park has received its biggest funnel-web spider at a drop-off location in Newcastle. Hemsworth , who has been named after the Aussie brothers, measures in at 9.2 centimetres from foot-to-foot.A massive specimen of one of the world's most venomous spiders will have its venom extracted to save lives.
A mammoth male Sydney funnel-web spider, who has been named Hemsworth after brothers and actors Chris, Luke and Liam Hemsworth, has been collected by the Australian Reptile Park. Measuring in at 9.2 centimetres from foot-to-foot, it is the largest funnel-web spider ever received by the park. Hemsworth's size surpasses the previous record set by Hercules — who measures in at 7.9cm and was donated last year.Sydney funnel-web spiders usually range in length from 1-5cm, with females being generally larger than their male counterparts, but 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. Emma Teni, the head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast, said she was surprised that Hemsworth was a male when staff picked him up from a drop-off location in Newcastle. 'When he got handed in to one of our drop-off locations, we just had a look and thought, 'definitely a female',' she told ABC's News Channel. 'On closer inspection, you can actually see the spurs, which are the male organs and we were like,' No, that's a male', so he's ridiculous.'Hemsworth will undergo 'milking' to extract venom, essential for producing life-saving antivenom, as part of the reptile park's antivenom program. The antivenom program involves collecting venom from a specimen, freeze drying it, and then sending it to a laboratory at Seqirus in Melbourne.Since the program was introduced in 1981 at the park, there has not been a single fatality from a funnel-web spider bit
Funnel-Web Spider Venom Antivenom Australian Reptile Park Hemsworth
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