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“I don't advise touching it, it certainly releases large amounts of venom.” A new species of spider has been discovered

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Australian scientists have classified a new species of spider. “Big Boy”, or Atrax christenseni, is a larger and more venomous version of the Australian tarantula – one of the most dangerous arachnids in the world.

The first reports of the newly classified spider appeared at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. In 2000, the former head of the spider department at the Australian Reptile Park, Kane Christensen, noticed a then-unknown arachnid in the town of Newcastle, located 170 kilometers from Sydney. The mysterious arthropod has since been nicknamed “Big Boy”

In research published earlier this week, a group of scientists from Flinders University in Australia, the Australian Museum and Germany's Leibnitz Institute officially classified “Big Boy” as a separate species of spider.

“It's much larger, its venom glands are much larger and its fangs are much longer,” said Christensen, whose name is included in the species' Latin name. Atrax christenseni.

“Big Boy”, or Atrax christenseniReuters

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“I don't advise touching him”

The spider reaches nine centimeters in length, which is almost twice as long as the “classic” variety of the Australian tarantula, which occurs in Queensland and New South Wales.

“Sometimes it can be found in the garage, bedroom or somewhere in the house where it may have wandered at night,” added Kane Christensen.

The newly classified spiders are found within a radius of about 150 km of Sydney and are mainly active between November and April. In the case of both varieties of tarantula, only the bite of the male can be fatal to humans. According to the Australian Museum, a total of 13 deaths have been recorded since the 1980s, when the antigen for the Australian tarantula venom was developed. According to scientists, the same remedy effectively treats “Big Boy” bites.

– I do not advise touching it, it certainly releases large amounts of venom – warned the expert.

Main photo source: Reuters



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