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Judi Lynn

(160,211 posts)
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 12:16 AM Mar 2018

A Giant Specimen of World's Most Toxic Spider Was Caught in Australia And We're Not OK


They named him Colossus.

MICHELLE STARR 1 MAR 2018

This is one fellow you do NOT want to find in your shoe. The Australian Reptile Park has just been handed an absolute whopper of a male funnel web spider - not just the most toxic spider in Australia, but the entire world.

He's so big that the reptile park team have given him the most appropriate name they could think of - Colossus.

The Australian funnel web is dangerous. The venom of the most toxic of the 35 species, the Sydney funnel web, can easily kill an adult human.

To top it off, the males are not just aggressive, but likely to hide in human habitation when on the prowl for a mate.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/australian-funnel-web-spider-toxic-giant-reptile-park-venom-program
9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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A Giant Specimen of World's Most Toxic Spider Was Caught in Australia And We're Not OK (Original Post) Judi Lynn Mar 2018 OP
Oh, my. PoindexterOglethorpe Mar 2018 #1
Gah! Guess where I am right now? MontanaMama Mar 2018 #2
What a great opportunity. Laffy Kat Mar 2018 #3
I said the very same thing. MontanaMama Mar 2018 #6
No NZ I would visit in a heartbeat. Laffy Kat Mar 2018 #8
I lived in Sydney for 2 years for work and loved it. AJT Mar 2018 #5
Does that mean they mate with humans? defacto7 Mar 2018 #4
WHAT IS IT WITH AUSTRALIA Skittles Mar 2018 #7
I thought it would be bigger. Thyla Mar 2018 #9

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,746 posts)
1. Oh, my.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 12:19 AM
Mar 2018

Toxic in Australia is SERIOUSLY toxic. I shudder to think about what this spider is like.

I've been to Australia several times and genuinely love that country. I've even been tempted to move there, and while it probably won't happen for other reasons (mainly not wanting to be so far away from family and current friends), it's the danger inherent in the ecosystem that gives me pause.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
2. Gah! Guess where I am right now?
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 12:32 AM
Mar 2018

Australia!!! My hubs is here working and my 12 year old and I went exploring around the lake and wooded area behind our motel the other day. When we got back, the front desk staff politely asked me what we’d been up to...I replied that we’d taken a hike to check out the local birds and desk clerk looked aghast! He told us that there were Commion Brown Snakes and Tiger Snakes in the area and both were lethal. Nice. We are sticking closer to the trails as a result. The birds here are a wonder, and the summer weather is lovely treat for this Rocky Mountain gal.

Laffy Kat

(16,354 posts)
3. What a great opportunity.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 12:41 AM
Mar 2018

I always say that I will not visit Down Under due to all the creepy crawlies, honestly though, if I had the opportunity, I would love it.

MontanaMama

(23,238 posts)
6. I said the very same thing.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 01:05 AM
Mar 2018

But when the opportunity arose, I jumped on it. Lovely, gracious, generous people. And they think tRump is an friggin’ idiot...Bonus! The creepy crawlers do give me pause. Headed to NZ on Monday where nothing is venomous or will eat anybody there. You should go!

Laffy Kat

(16,354 posts)
8. No NZ I would visit in a heartbeat.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 02:03 AM
Mar 2018

I've read a lot about it and would love to see it. I'm a glider pilot and they have some of the best soaring in the world!

AJT

(5,240 posts)
5. I lived in Sydney for 2 years for work and loved it.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 01:04 AM
Mar 2018

I was very cautious and a bit paranoid about the spiders. Even the non-toxic ones are big and scary. The birds are magnificent. I was woken up every morning by laughing kookaburras, and a beautiful black cockatoo lived in an old tree near my duplex. The bright parrots and odd sounding currawongs, the funny ibis and giant fruit bats......so many beautiful birds.

Thyla

(791 posts)
9. I thought it would be bigger.
Sat Mar 3, 2018, 05:06 AM
Mar 2018

I seriously do not get the inevitable "oh Australia has so many things that can kill you" line. I mean come on North America has deadly spiders and snakes too, you got alligators and sharks plus you got a whole bunch of deadly crap running around out there like different flavours of bears, mountain lions, sasquatch, wolves, coyotes, guns, republicans, wolverines and so on.

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