Deadly funnel-web spider Big Boy to help save lives

One of the largest funnel-web spiders ever caught is to be milked for its venom to create life-saving medicine. Nicknamed Big Boy, the deadly arachnid has a leg-span of almost four inches (ten centimetres) and was caught in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Funnel-webs are the deadliest spiders in Australia and one of the most venomous arachnids in the world, says the BBC. A bite can lead to heart attacks, cause breathing difficulties and affect the nervous system and intestines.

There have been 13 deaths recorded from funnel-web spiders in Australia, but none of these have taken place since a programme to create anti-venom was initiated by the Australian Reptile Park (ARP).

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The procedure sees spiders "milked" for their venom through a pipette. The poison is then injected into rabbits in incremental doses until they build up antibodies which can be used to make anti-venoms serum.

Between 200 and 300 spiders are needed every year, with 3,000 milkings producing enough venom to create one antidote. A spider can only be milked once a week or it risks becoming exhausted.

Big Boy was caught by a "good Samaritan" member of the public last week, according to the ARP, and is one of the biggest funnel-webs they've seen.

"There might be one at a museum, but this is the biggest one we've had in our venom programme," said Billy Collett, the anti-venom programme supervisor.

The average funnel-web has a leg-span of between 2.3ins and 2.7ins (six and seven centimetres), making Big Boy well over the odds with his leg-span.