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Researchers Discover New Species of Giant Spider (mentalfloss.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the creepy-crawling dept.

adeelarshad82 writes: Califorctenus cacachilensis, recently named by researchers at the San Diego Natural History Museum, was first located in 2013 in a mountain range in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The eye pattern led researchers to believe it was potentially part of a group of wandering spiders from the Ctenidae family. Knowing Ctenidae are nocturnal, the researchers returned to the cave at night, where they spotted a living specimen. Their research further led them to confirm that it was a previously unidentified species related to the Brazilian wandering spider. The findings have been published in Zootaxa.

13 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Nukes from North Korea and now this by slickwillie · · Score: 4, Funny

    One more thing to worry about - giant spiders from Mexico.

    Will Trump's wall keep them out?

    1. Re:Nukes from North Korea and now this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      There's no way Trump will stand for Mexico having bigger spiders than us. As you read this he's already secretly signing an executive order to breed even bigger spiders. Bigly. Yuge even.

    2. Re:Nukes from North Korea and now this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Pacific North West already have giant house spiders that appear inside at the end of summer. Even fairly modern houses that shouldn't have any gaps big enough for them to sneak in through, there they are perched on the wall in the morning waiting for the vacuum cleaner to find them.

    3. Re:Nukes from North Korea and now this by slickwillie · · Score: 4, Funny

      And Mexico will pay for the Yuge American Spiders.

  2. the Brazilian wanders around by turkeydance · · Score: 4, Interesting

    a lot more than they thought

  3. Science at its best... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    “I got bit while handling a live specimen of Califorctenus cacachilensis, and I’m still alive,” Berrian said.

  4. No priapism?? by Type44Q · · Score: 4, Funny

    No deadly-boner-inducing toxin?? How utterly unremarkable.

  5. Thank you researchers by guises · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thank you unspecified researchers, always making wonderful new discoveries to benefit all of us.

    1. Re:Thank you researchers by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      I especially like the bit: "I got bit while handling a live specimen of Califorctenus cacachilensis, and I’m still alive"

      Science!

  6. Are they going to name it aragog? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Funny

    Or the name has already been taken?

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  7. the euro-step by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    Califorctenus Cacachilensis

    Sounds like the name of a Utah Jazz power forward drafted from Latvia.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  8. Yummy! by spaceman375 · · Score: 2

    Spiders are related to crabs. Are these things big enough to try my crabcake recipes on? A quick boil with some old bay should remove the hair...

    --
    On the one hand you take life too seriously, and on the other, you do not take playful existence seriously enough. Seth
    1. Re:Yummy! by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's a quest in World of Warcraft in which an NPC has you gather spider meat as the main ingredient for his "dusky crab cakes".