Australian scientists discover new species of a deadly spider: it is larger and more venomous than its relatives. Photo and video

Scientists from Australia have found a new species of extremely dangerous spider. According to the researchers, it is much larger and more poisonous than its relative, Sydney funnel-web spider, which is one of the deadliest in the world.

The new species of spider was nicknamed "Big Boy" as its size reached 9 centimeters. Spiders like it were first discovered in the early 2000s 170 km north of Sydney, but they were no more than 5 centimeters long, Reuters reports.

The large and now deadlier funnel-web spider was reported by spider enthusiast and former head of the spider department at the University of Australia, Kane Christensen. "This particular spider is a lot larger, its venom glands are a lot larger and its fangs are a lot longer," the researcher said.

Scientists from the Australian Museum, Flinders University and Germany's Leibniz Institute have announced that the "Big Boy," which is 9 centimeters long, will be classified as a separate species of funnel-web spider. The experts gave it the official name Atrax christenseni in honor of Christensen's contribution to the research.

According to scientists, these black spiders, which are nocturnal and mostly active from November to April, can usually be spotted within about 150 km of Sydney, Australia.

Experts emphasize that only the male Sydney funnel-web spider, which carries a much stronger venom than the female, has been recorded as a human killer. According to the Australian Museum, a total of 13 human deaths have occured after the bite of this spider. However, since the development of an antivenom in the 1980s, there have been no fatalities.

Still, spider experts advise against deliberately looking for an encounter with the Big Boy. "Sometimes you might find them in a garage or in a bedroom or somewhere in the house where they might have wandered in during the night. I would not recommend touching them that's for sure, they do give copious amounts of venom," emphasized Kane.

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