Funnel-web lookalike hides in chook poo
IT looks like one of the world's deadliest spiders, but this creepy crawly found lurking in a bag of chook poo is just an impostor.
Earlville resident Bruce Bennetts had quite a scare when he was making potting mix in his back garden on Tuesday, reaching into a bag of chook poo and finding what he thought was a Sydney funnel-web spider.
Bites from funnel-web spiders have caused 13 deaths in the past 100 years.
People can die from a funnel-web bite in about 15 minutes.
"I put my hand in there and I could have picked him up, if I hadn’t been watching," Mr Bennetts said.
Queensland Museum spider expert Dr Robert Raven yesterday identified the spider as a male brush-footed trapdoor spider, a far less venomous variety of arachnid.
"It is common through the area and probably crawled into the compost heap to escape the rain," Dr Raven said.
"They are venomous but nowhere nearly as bad as the funnel-web.
"The difference between it and a funnel-web may seem subtle, but to those who know it, it is quite significant and very clear."
Dr Raven said he named a new species of funnel-web from remote mountains near Mossman.
"It was isolated there millions of years ago," he said.
"None have been found anywhere else in the North."
The Queensland Museum is the only authoritative source for funnel-web identifications in Queensland.
The museum operates a seven-day, 24-hour emergency telephone identification service on 0412 848 467.
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Creepy-crawly: Bruce Bennetts got the fright of his life when he found what he thought was a funnel-web spider in his Earlville back yard. Picture: CHRIS HYDE
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