#088 The Man Who Found the Big Boy: How Kane Christensen Discovered Australia's Newest Funnel Web Spider

Australia just got a new funnel web spider and it's a big one. Kane Christensen spent years noticing that the funnel webs coming in from the Newcastle area were unusually large. Eventually, a microscope and a deep knowledge of spider anatomy confirmed it: this was an entirely new species. In January 2025, it was formally named Atrax christenseni — the Newcastle Funnel Web Spider — in his honour.In this episode, Kane shares how a newspaper ad led him to become Head of Spiders at the Australian Reptile Park, how Australia's entire supply of funnel web anti-venom depends on the public catching and handing in spiders, why the "Newcastle Big Boy" could be more dangerous than its Sydney cousin, and what a tiny carnivorous marsupial did to his prized breeding spider.He also explains how you can help — whether that's catching a funnel web safely in a jar, submitting photos to citizen science platforms, or simply taking the kids outside with a head torch after dark.More Informationhttps://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/newcastle-funnel-web-spider-atrax-christenseni/https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/funnel-web-spiders-group/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/14/dream-come-true-for-australian-funnel-web-spider-enthusiast-after-he-discovers-a-new-specieshttps://www.reptilepark.com.au/about/venom-program/spider-venom-programIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.