By Jess Hyland, ABC
Only male funnel-web spiders are milked as they're about six times more venomous than females. Photo: AFP
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 was 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.
The head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast, Emma Teni, 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 involved collecting venom from a specimen, freeze drying it, and then sending it to a laboratory at Seqirus in Melbourne.
Only male funnel-web spiders are milked as they're about six times more venomous than females.
Since the program was introduced in 1981 at the park, there had not been a single fatality from a funnel-web spider bite.
Teni said Hemsworth would be "pretty juicy" due to his sheer size and the amount of venom he has.
She encouraged the public to bring more funnel-web spiders as the park was the only supplier of venom for the antivenom program in the country.
"We need the constant supply of males to ensure that we have a constant supply of spiders for the antivenom," she said.
"They can't jump and they can't climb a smooth surface, so if you have a smooth jar and a long-handled spoon you can gentle place it in front of the spider and encourage them to walk into the jar."
After securing the spider with a lid, the spider can be taken to one of the park's drop-off locations, which can be found on their website.
- ABC
