Funnel-web spiders come out in record numbers triggering Christmas warning

[TruthTheOnlyDefense]

Sydney's Australian Reptile Park has put out a festive-period warning after reporting a record number of "massive" funnel-web spiders handed in to its keepers.

The park said the funnel-webs, the deadliest spiders in Australia, were mainly males and had leg spans of up to 10 centimetres, some of the biggest spiders the keepers have seen.

The venom of the male Sydney funnel-web is six-times more potent than that of the female.

Australian Reptile Park head of spiders, reptiles and venom Dan Rumsay described the creatures that were handed in as "massive".

"They're even scaring me and I have to work with them," he said.

Mr Rumsay said the park had been given 20 spiders over the past week.


Victoria Museum senior curator of entomology Ken Walker said the sizes recorded were impressive.

"That's very large for these spiders without a doubt," he said.

The recent wet weather in New South Wales was believed to be one of the reasons behind the influx of spiders, but it is also the height of the breeding season.

Dr Walker said that love, rather than the weather, was the key factor behind the sheer number of male spiders handed in.

"While there has been a lot of wild, wet weather in Sydney, the fact that mainly males have been handed in suggests to me that the weather really hasn't been a major factor," he said.

"This time of year is the typical time males mature, and once they mature they actually stop feeding and they just spend all of their time searching for females."

The last death from a funnel-web spider in Australia was recorded in 1981, but Mr Rumsay said people needed to remain vigilant this summer.

"Last year a boy was bitten and I got to meet him. [He] was putting on his Harry Potter costume to go to a dress-up party and a spider was actually hiding in the clothes basket, so when he put the costume on it bit him," he said.

"Make sure you're checking all those things."

All the spiders handed into the reptile park will be put to good use: It's the only place in the country where the funnel-web is milked to create antivenom.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...-christmas-warning/ar-BBRmZSg?ocid=spartandhp

 

[KAL-EL]

Fascinating creatures.. At a distance of course.

 

[Maarkhoor]

Sydney's Australian Reptile Park has put out a festive-period warning after reporting a record number of "massive" funnel-web spiders handed in to its keepers.

The park said the funnel-webs, the deadliest spiders in Australia, were mainly males and had leg spans of up to 10 centimetres, some of the biggest spiders the keepers have seen.

The venom of the male Sydney funnel-web is six-times more potent than that of the female.

Australian Reptile Park head of spiders, reptiles and venom Dan Rumsay described the creatures that were handed in as "massive".

"They're even scaring me and I have to work with them," he said.

Mr Rumsay said the park had been given 20 spiders over the past week.


Victoria Museum senior curator of entomology Ken Walker said the sizes recorded were impressive.

"That's very large for these spiders without a doubt," he said.

The recent wet weather in New South Wales was believed to be one of the reasons behind the influx of spiders, but it is also the height of the breeding season.

Dr Walker said that love, rather than the weather, was the key factor behind the sheer number of male spiders handed in.

"While there has been a lot of wild, wet weather in Sydney, the fact that mainly males have been handed in suggests to me that the weather really hasn't been a major factor," he said.

"This time of year is the typical time males mature, and once they mature they actually stop feeding and they just spend all of their time searching for females."

The last death from a funnel-web spider in Australia was recorded in 1981, but Mr Rumsay said people needed to remain vigilant this summer.

"Last year a boy was bitten and I got to meet him. [He] was putting on his Harry Potter costume to go to a dress-up party and a spider was actually hiding in the clothes basket, so when he put the costume on it bit him," he said.

"Make sure you're checking all those things."

All the spiders handed into the reptile park will be put to good use: It's the only place in the country where the funnel-web is milked to create antivenom.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/aust...-christmas-warning/ar-BBRmZSg?ocid=spartandhp

Merry Xmass.....

Fascinating creatures.. At a distance of course.

 

[KAL-EL]

Marry Xmass.....

Merry Xmass.....

What beautiful Christmas wishes

 

[PakSword]

All the spiders handed into the reptile park will be put to good use: It's the only place in the country where the funnel-web is milked to create antivenom.

Time to call animal rights activists..

 

[TruthTheOnlyDefense]

Merry Xmass.....

LOL I love that, thanks.

 

[PakSarzameen5823]

I hate those things...

 

[TruthTheOnlyDefense]

I hate those things...

Nothing wrong with a spider wishing you a Merry Christmas mate.

 

[Nein]

I fcking hate these spiders!!!

I have been traumatised by them ever since I went on that Microsoft Dangerous Creatures program when I was a kid and I went on the funnel web part seeing that picture of an all black spider and those eyes of terror really made me cry so bad to the point I could never go on the program and became paranoid that the spider was out to get me.

I hate redbacks a lot too especially that red stripe scares the fck out of me.

Why does Australia have to have the worst spiders?

 

[TruthTheOnlyDefense]

I fcking hate these spiders!!!

I have been traumatised by them ever since I went on that Microsoft Dangerous Creatures program when I was a kid and I went on the funnel web part seeing that picture of a all black spider and those eyes of terror really made me cry so bad to the point I could never go on the program and became paranoid that the spider was out to get me.

I hate redbacks a lot too especially that red stripe scares the fck out of me.

Why does Australia have to have the worst spiders?

We need spiders, crocodiles, kangaroos, etc to keep us safe from disgusting Indians.

 

[Nein]

We need spiders, crocodiles, kangaroos, etc to keep us safe from disgusting Indians.

Lmaooooo

You won the internet!!

 

[TruthTheOnlyDefense]

Lmaooooo

You won the internet!!

Unfortunately.