The spider venom also works to increase nitric oxide levels but through a different mechanism, Nunes said.

Though these predators are best known for ensnaring their food in sticky webs and paralyzing them with venom, this is only one of many ways the world's 40,000 or so known spider species catch a meal.

The only place in the world that milks the spider for its venom is at the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney where it is collected to be made into Antivenom for hospitals.