The biggest male specimen of the world’s most poisonous spider, with fangs that can penetrate a human fingernail, has been relocated to the Australian Reptile Park. This spider will aid in saving lives after being discovered by a member of the public by chance.

The Australian Reptile Park reported on Thursday that the infamous Sydney funnel-web spider, known as Hercules, was discovered on the Central Coast, approximately 50 miles north of Sydney. It was first taken to a nearby hospital.

Experts on spiders from a park nearby came to collect it and soon discovered that it was the biggest male spider ever given to them by the public in Australia.

The spider’s measurement from foot to foot was 7.9 centimeters, breaking the park’s previous record set in 2018 by the male funnel-web spider known as Colossus.

Sydney funnel-web spiders usually range in length from 1 to 5 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.

Hercules plans to assist in the reptile park’s efforts to create an anti-venom program. Any spiders that are safely caught and brought in by the public will go through a process known as “milking” in order to extract venom, which is crucial for making life-saving anti-venom.

“According to Emma Teni, a spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park, we are accustomed to receiving large funnel-web spiders as donations. However, receiving a male funnel-web of this size is like winning the lottery. While female funnel-webs are known for their venom, it has been discovered that males are even more deadly. This male funnel-web in our collection could potentially produce a significant amount of venom, making it extremely valuable for our park’s venom program.”

Since its establishment in 1981, there have been no reported deaths in Australia due to a bite from a funnel-web spider.

The recent damp and moist climate on the east coast of Australia has created the perfect environment for funnel-web spiders to flourish.