SYDNEY: Australian scientists have discovered a bigger, more venomous species of the Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the world’s deadliest.
The new funnel-web species has earned the nickname “Big Boy” and was first discovered in the early 2000s near Newcastle, 170 km north of Sydney, by Kane Christensen, a spider enthusiast and former head of spiders at the Australian Reptile Park.
“This particular spider is a lot larger, its venom glands are a lot larger and its fangs are a lot longer,” he said.
In research released on Monday, scientists from the Australian Museum, Flinders University and Germany’s Leibniz Institute said the “Big Boy” would be classified as a separate species of funnel-web spider. Scientists have named the 9-centimetre long species as Atrax christenseni, after Christensen’s contributions to the research.
The nocturnal black arachnids are usually spotted within around 150 km of Sydney and are mostly active between November and April.
Only the male Sydney funnel-web, which carries a much stronger venom, is responsible for human deaths. A total of 13 deaths have been recorded though no human fatalities have occurred since the development of antivenom in the 1980s.
Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.