Largest male funnel-web spider 'Hercules' sets record at Australian Reptile Park

SYDNEY (TND) — The largest male specimen of the world's most venomous spider can be found at the Australian Reptile Park and thankfully not in your backyard.

Rightfully named Hercules, the Sydney funnel-web spider is the biggest male funnel-web spider that the park has ever seen.

"Males are typically much smaller than females but Hercules is just as big as the biggest female funnel-web," the park said on social media.

The spider measures 7.9 centimeters (3.1 inches) and will contribute to the reptile park's antivenom program. Safely captured spiders handed in by the public undergo “milking” to extract venom, essential for producing life-saving antivenom.

Since the inception of the program in the 1980s, countless Australian lives have been saved and there has not been a single death, according to a release.

Hercules was found on the Central Coast, about 50 miles north of Sydney, and was initially given to a local hospital, the Australian Reptile Park said in a statement Thursday.

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.

"We’re used to having pretty big funnel-web spiders donated to the park, however receiving a male funnel-web this big is like hitting the jackpot,” said Emma Teni, a spider keeper at Australian Reptile Park. “Whilst female funnel-web spiders are venomous, males have proven to be more lethal.

"With having a male funnel-web this size in our collection, his venom output could be enormous, proving incredibly valuable for the park’s venom program.”

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.