IG Experts are to begin milking the "big boy" spider to fight the most dangerous spider bites

Experts are to begin “milking” the three inch creepy-crawlie to build up stocks of anti-venom to fight one of the most dangerous spider bites in nature. Funnel webs like Big Boy can inflict a bite that is particular poisonous to humans but does not affect other mammals. The venom contains a compound called atracotoxin which can spark a terrifying array of symptoms if there is no immediate treatment within 10 minutes.

We really encourage local communities to hand them in to the Australian Reptile Park or to participating hospital drop-off centres within this peak season Liz Vella, Reptile Park curator

Besides being excruciatingly painful because of the size of the spider’s fangs, the poison causes sweating, nausea, diarrhoea, pulmonary oedema and circulatory failure. There are up to 40 different species of funnel-web, but it is the so-called Sydney funnel-web like Big Boy that is the most toxic and the one most eagerly sought by experts for milking. Record-breaking Big Boy was handed in at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, New South Wales, at the weekend. The spider is now being looked after at the Australian Reptile Park which has a milking facility to produce anti-venom. Wet and mild weather conditions have caused a spike in funnel-web sightings in the Newcastle area recently, and the Reptile Park is warning the public to be on alert.

The World's Scariest Spiders Fri, January 12, 2018 Creepy crawlies! Spiders from all over the world. With eight legs and venomous fangs, spiders are some of the most hated and feared creatures to walk the planet. Play slideshow Getty Images/Flickr RF 1 of 30 An adult male jumping spider

Reptile Park curator Liz Vella told the Sydney Morning Herald: “They are a feisty species of spider and can be expected to stand their ground and defend themselves. For that reason, we encourage adults to educate children that, should they locate a spider of any kind, parental assistance be provided in the capture.” The Reptile Park has been collecting funnel-webs over the past 35 years and aims to collect as many as 300 males to achieve up to 3,000 milkings, but numbers had been declining in recent times.

GETTY Funnel web spiders are often found in sheltered, shady spots