Largest male funnel-web spider found in Australia

‘Hercules’ measured 7.9 cm from foot to foot. Pic/AP

With fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world's most poisonous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it by chance.

The deadly Sydney funnel-web spider dubbed "Hercules" was found on the Central Coast, about 50 miles north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital. Spider experts from the nearby park retrieved it and soon realised it was the largest male specimen ever received from the public in Australia. The spider measured 7.9 cm (3.1 inches) from foot to foot, surpassing the park's previous record-holder from 2018, the male funnel-web named "Colossus".

Sydney funnel-web spiders usually range in length from one to five centimeters, 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, Australia's most populous city, to the coastal city of Newcastle in the north and the Blue Mountains to the west.

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