Dream come true for Australian funnel-web spider enthusiast after he discovers a new species
by Donna Lu science writer from Environment | The Guardian on (#6THZ3)
Newcastle funnel-web spider's last shared common ancestor with the Sydney funnel-web was 17 million years ago, experts say
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Kane Christensen's passion is an arachnophobe's nightmare. For two decades, he worked with deadly spiders at the Australian Reptile Park, a zoo located 80km north of Sydney - paying such close attention to the eight-legged predators that he helped scientists discover two new species.
He began there as a volunteer in 2003, milking venom from the fangs of Sydney funnel-web spiders. The park takes donations of captured male spiders from the public, using their venom to create life-saving antivenom. Funnel-webs for me are just the pinnacle," Christensen says.
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