In internet slang, spiders are sometimes known simply as «nopes.» So please give a warm welcome to the most nope-ity of nopes, a venomous funnel-web spider that has earned the imposing nickname «Megaspider.»
An anonymous good Samaritan dropped off Megaspider — which is especially large for its kind of spider — at a funnel-web spider collection site where it was picked up by the brave folks at the Australian Reptile Park zoo in New South Wales.
Funnel-web spiders can be deadly to humans. The Australian Museum calls them the «most notorious members of our spider fauna» but said there haven’t been any recorded deaths attributed to the spiders since the introduction of an antivenom in 1981. The Australian Reptile Park milks funnel-web spiders for their venom, which is made into antivenom for treating bites.
A Facebook video shows Megaspider strolling across various items for scale, including a glove and a hat.
Megaspider clocks in at 3.1 inches (8 centimeters) from the tip of its front foot to the tip of its back foot, which the zoo said makes it comparable in size to a tarantula. It’s even bigger than a funnel-web spider named Colossus that the reptile park received in 2018. The spiders usually top out at about 2 inches (5 centimeters).
The spider was donated inside an unmarked Tupperware container, and the zoo would like to find out exactly where it came from.
«Having Megaspider handed into the venom program is so amazing, in my 30+ years at the Park, I have never seen a funnel-web spider this big!» education officer Michael Tate said in a statement last week. «She is unusually large and if we can get the public to hand in more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved due to the huge amount of venom they can produce.»
It takes about 150 spiders to make one vial of antivenom. The Australian Reptile Park relies on the public to supply the spiders and offers a handy video showing how to safely catch the critters. One recommended method involves gently encouraging the spider into a jar using a long spoon or ruler.
Megaspider seems like a nightmare, but she will be doing her part to help humanity.
