The Largest Recorded Male Funnel-Web Spider Receives the Name 'Hemsworth' Before Getting Milked for His Venom
Mar. 15, 2025Largest male funnel-web spider, ‘Hemsworth.'.Photo:Cover Images via AP Images
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(733x443:735x445):format(webp)/biggest-funnel-web-spider-010825-1-3aaa3df565ed41aba65356149b65c50d.jpg)
Cover Images via AP Images
From the same zoo in Australia that gave us giant spidersHercules and Colossuscomes an arachnid that is … even bigger.
The Australian Reptile Park recently recorded its largest male funnel-web spider yet,CNN reported. According to the zoo, which is located north of Syndey, Australia, the spider measures a whooping 9.2 centimeters foot-to-foot. His girthy predecessors, funnel-web spider Hercules and Colossus, measured 7.9 and 7.8 centimeters, respectively.
Each year, the Australian Reptile Park collects funnel-web spiders — arachnids native to Australia that are some of the most venomous spiders on the planet — with help from the public for its anti-venom program. For the program, the zoo takes the collected and recorded spiders and milks them for their venom so the material can used to make anti-venom.
Hemsworth, the spider, will receive the same treatment. An Australian Reptile Park spider keeper, Emma Teni, shared the meaning behind the beefy specimen’s name.
Chris Hemsworth,famous for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is over 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and has two brothers,Liam and Luke, who are also actors.
In a video posted to the zoo’s Facebook, Teni added, “Hemsworth, he’s different. He’s the biggest spider.”
Emma Teni holding a container with Hemsworth inside.Cover Images via AP Images
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(690x379:692x381):format(webp)/biggest-funnel-web-spider-010825-4-2cf8f93fd61e43e0a17ee058f9dfff8a.jpg)
Typically, female funnel-web spiders are larger than their male counterparts. Australian Reptile Park employees thought Hemsworth was a female at first due to his size. Obtaining a male funnel-web spider as large as Hemsworth is like “hitting the jackpot,” Teni toldSky News Australia.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Though females are larger, male funnel-web spiders are about six times more venomous than females. The Australian Reptile Park will soon milk Hemsworth’s fangs so his venom can become a lifesaving cure for funnel-web spider bites
source: people.com
Other Posts
