Deadly funnel-web spider found that's double the size of normal killer species
6 February 2020, 09:32
A venomous spider has been nicknamed ‘The Rock’ because of its huge size.
A gigantic funnel-web spider, which is double the average size of the highly venomous species, has been found in Australia.
And it’s so big, it’s been given the very apt name of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson after the Hollywood movie star.
Locals spotted the monster funnel-web crawling around the suburbs on the New South Wales coast.
After being handed to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, the creature was transported to the Australian Reptile Park.
‘The Rock’ will become part of the milking program at the park to produce the antivenom which saves up to 300 lives per year.
Here, the venom is extracted weekly by the park and sent to Seqiris laboratory in Melbourne where it is made into the anti-venom.
Liz Gabriel, director of the Park, said ‘The Rock’ was a great find, explaining: “He is unusually large and more spiders like him will only result in more lives being saved due to the huge amount of venom they can produce.”
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Funnel-web spiders are Australia's deadliest species and are considered among the most dangerous in the world due to their poisonous venom.
There are thought to be more than 40 species of the creature in Australia.
And experts have recently warned that the rainy weather in Australia followed by intense heat has provided the “perfect conditions for funnel web spiders to thrive.”
The park sent out an urgent warning asking members of the public to brush up on the correct first aid in case they happen to be bitten by one of the funnel spiders.
This includes wrapping the limb tightly in a bandage and applying a splint to limit movement, before seeking medical treatment.
Experts also released a video showing how the public can catch spiders before dropping them off to a number of facilities in New South Wales.
