People have many different fears but one of the biggest is a fear of spiders, something that may even become stronger and could become arachnophobia. This may even be a stronger fear, now if they found the most venomous spider in the world.
This new and highly venomous species of spider was found in the Australian region of New South Wales. Spider expert King Christensen of the Australian Reptile Parks found the spider in 2018.
After several of the spiders were spotted by Christensen, the Australian Museum in Sydney was notified. They were able to verify the arachnid as a new species.
They have named the new spider in honor of the expert who discovered it, Atrax Christenseni. In speaking with the local news, Christensen said: “It’s unbelievable. To have a spider that I’m so passionate about named after me is just a dream come true. It’s super exciting.”
He said that the new spider can grow up to 4.5 cm in length and compared to the regular funnel webs in Sydney, can inject more venom.
“I looked at it and it just blew my mind that the sheer size of it for a male of that species was just… astronomical.
“I looked at it and it just blew my mind that the sheer size of it for a male of that species was just… astronomical.”
After being discovered, scientists began investigating to see if the spiders were just large individuals of an existing species or if it was an entirely different species. After those studies were complete, they found that the embolus on the male spider was larger and twisted.
After DNA analysis, they were able to confirm the theory of Dr. Michael Gray that three different types of funnel web spiders exist. As of now, the spider seems to be confined within about 25 km of Newcastle and it is unlikely it will venture into Sydney.
According to the director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, Professor Kristofer Helgen: “This is an amazing moment in spider biology, this is the most venomous spider in the world.”
