Reptile park releases horrifying footage of two funnel web spiders mating

Up-close footage of two funnel web spiders mating has been dubbed ‘spider porn’ by horrified viewers. 

The venomous creatures were caught in the act  at the Australian Reptile Park, in New South Wale’s Central Coast, and was uploaded online on Facebook. 

The male spider can be seen waiting for a female hidden inside a burrow who then emerges to front her potential mate.  

The female and male engage in a brief sparring session, before the female accepts her partner – a common act between all funnel webs before breeding. 

Both funnel webs raise their front legs towards each other and press their bodies together.  

He then inseminates his partner by inserting the tips of his palpal organs, which include droplets of sperm, into the female’s genital opening under her abdomen.

 ‘What did I just watch?!’ one user commented on the video.

‘This makes my skin crawl,’ another wrote. 

Male funnel webs will only have a few months to live after mating but females can live for several years after

Both funnel webs raise their front legs towards each other and press their bodies together

Mating season commonly occurs during the summer and autumn months as males leave their burrows to look for a female. 

Females have chemicals called pheromones in their tripline silk, which helps male spiders identify her burrow. 

Male funnel webs will only have a few months to live after mating but females can live for several years, with reports up to 20, according to the Queensland Museum.  

Female funnel webs will lay her eggs in her burrow.