So today at work i got ask to do an interview about Big boy, this is Big Boy!
Big boy is a spider that has been handed in to the Australia Reptile Park, the only spider milking programme for the sydney funnel web spider.
So up came the inevitable question of 'how do you milk a spider?'
And thats where I come in as an invertebrate expert, who knew right?
So at 12 today I was asked to go on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester to answer the burning question people have been asking all morning, Finally all that work on Spiders used in medicine paid off!
So how do you milk a spider?
Here are some simple steps (please dont do this at home!);
Get a spider (obvious i know, sorry)
Spider is anesthetized under carbon dioxide
Spider is held with modified tweezers, holding a saline soaked electrode against its carapace
A suctioned (dull) syringe needle is inserted between the endites and chelicerae, with the opening over the tip of rostrum (covering the mouth)
The fangs are examined and the spider may be rejected if the fangs are moist or soiled. Alternately, the fangs be cleaned with a water jet and suctioned dry prior to milking.
The spider is stimulated with a mild, nonlethal shock and the venom is drawn directly from the tips of the fangs with a glass capillary, while the mouth area is watched carefully for regurgitate and other fluids
And thats that! one milked spider, however I do advise, again, that you don't do this at home!
Second question was why on earth would you WANT to milk a spider, well that venom taken from the spiders is then used to make Anti-venoms for these spiders. Since the discovery of the antivenom for the funnel web spider NO ONE has died from a spider bite makeing spiders being milked lifesaving work.
If you fancy a listen its on :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03ffwz8#play
its about 2:08 into the show.
If you want to read the article that kicked this all off:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-35378879
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