If you've been holding off from booking a trip to Australia then you should probably look away now because this will not help you click on that 'Confirm Booking'.
A lot of people reckon that virtually everything in Australia will kill you, which is utter bollocks - only half the things in the land down under will kill you.
One of those spicy creatures is the funnel-web spider and it's straight-up terrifying. Looking sinister as hell, with hairy appendages and teeth that would make a severe dent in your skin, this spider is genuinely an arachnaphobic's worst nightmare.
But today we're not just talking about any ordinary funnel-web. This, according to the Australian Reptile Park, is the biggest one that's ever been handed over.
The spider has been affectionally called 'Big Boy' as he spans 7.5 centimetres from limb to limb and has 'venom dripping constantly from his fangs'. Aw, how sweet.
He was found in Newcastle and handed to authorities at John Hunter Hospital and the Reptile Park will use those dripping fangs to milk him for venom. They've uploaded a picture of him in full battle mode, which to be honest is the main way you'd prefer not to see him.
Australian Reptile Park Head Curator Liz Vella said in a statement: "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 that parental assistance be provided in the capture.
"Funnel-web spiders only live for 12 months so we're constantly needing to re-stock our males.They're often found in sheltered, shady spots, which are always cool, humid and often damp."
Their fangs are so powerful and sharp that they can pierce through nails and soft shoes and that's why you have to be extra careful of them. They're largely considered one of the most dangerous in the world because of their venom, which they inject almost every time they bite.
Thirteen people have died in Sydney alone from funnel-web bites.
If those fangs did get you, the toxins within the venom would wreak havoc on your central nervous system pretty quickly. The bite itself is painful AF because the teeth are so big, but you'll quickly develop goose bumps, sweating, tingling around the mouth and tongue, twitching, salivation, watery eyes, elevated heart rate, and elevated blood pressure.
That turns into nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, writhing, muscle spasms, fluid in your lungs and metabolic acidosis, which is when your body starts producing a shitload of acid.
Death follows those symptoms and ranges from 15 minutes after being bitten to three days.
Featured Image Credit: Australian Reptile ParkTopics: Spider, venom, Interesting, Community, Weird, Animals