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Related: About this forumSaucer-sized spider discovered in Baja cave
Saucer-sized spider discovered in Baja cave
In the hills of Baja, Michael Wall and Jim Berrian found a creature thats the stuff of nightmare for most people a cave spider nearly the size of a tarantula.
For the two San Diego Natural History Museum researchers, it was an exciting windfall an unknown arachnid as wide across as a softball.
This is the type of spider that a lot of people would shriek and run from its big enough to fall in that category, said Wall, curator of entomology for the museum.
The brand new species has the stuff of horror films: eight beady eyes, thick fang-like structures, a hairy, inch-long body and legs stretching four inches wide. Berrian, however, describes it in more flattering terms.
I think its a really pretty spider, he said. The head and legs are kind of a chocolate brown. The abdomen is a dull yellow. And its kind of plain, but very striking.
After confirming the spider as a new species, they named it Califorctenus cacachilensis after the Sierra Cacachilas mountain range where they found it, and published the discovery in the journal Zootaxa last month.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/sd-me-cave-spider-20170403-story.html
In the hills of Baja, Michael Wall and Jim Berrian found a creature thats the stuff of nightmare for most people a cave spider nearly the size of a tarantula.
For the two San Diego Natural History Museum researchers, it was an exciting windfall an unknown arachnid as wide across as a softball.
This is the type of spider that a lot of people would shriek and run from its big enough to fall in that category, said Wall, curator of entomology for the museum.
The brand new species has the stuff of horror films: eight beady eyes, thick fang-like structures, a hairy, inch-long body and legs stretching four inches wide. Berrian, however, describes it in more flattering terms.
I think its a really pretty spider, he said. The head and legs are kind of a chocolate brown. The abdomen is a dull yellow. And its kind of plain, but very striking.
After confirming the spider as a new species, they named it Califorctenus cacachilensis after the Sierra Cacachilas mountain range where they found it, and published the discovery in the journal Zootaxa last month.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/sd-me-cave-spider-20170403-story.html
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Saucer-sized spider discovered in Baja cave (Original Post)
beam me up scottie
Apr 2017
OP
Judi Lynn
(160,211 posts)1. What kind of kid aspires to be a spider hunter when he grows up?
[center] [/center]
How could you feel good finding a spider as large as a saucer?
It is good to know that someone who has even been bitten by one of these critters doesn't seem to be afraid of them. That part is pretty interesting!
Thanks for the information.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)2. I totally understand their excitement - I love spiders.
They're not cute and fluffy like other more popular predators but they are worthy of our respect. From ant mimics to diving spiders to peacock jumping spiders they're all pretty awesome.