To the surprise of the scientific community, the insect, found in Australia, is 5 times larger than its current counterpart.
They discover a gigantic spider that lived 16 million years ago. Photo Unsplash.
A huge discovery (literally) surprised the scientific community: they found one of the largest spiders in the world. The species lived in Australia does 16 million years and has a 5 times larger size to its current equivalent in the same geographic region.
The discovery occurred in the current central region of the country of Oceania. Although it is currently a desert, At the time where this insect lived it was a huge jungle. In this place, it was where the paleontologist Matthew McCurry Lead author of the study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, came across this fantastic discovery.
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The gigantic spider that lived 16 million years ago and was found in Australia
The animal was named Megamonodontium mccluskyi, in honor of the first scientist who found this species, Dr. Simon McClusky. Mega It comes from Latin and means giant, monodontium is the gender and, finally, the last name of the discoverer.
The spider was named Megamonodontium mccluskyi. Photo Unsplash.
To the relief of many, the experts did not find the live spider, but rather its fossil, since it is an insect that lived millions of years ago. Although, currently in Australia There are similar arachnids, the Europa Press report states that this living being is the larger found there.
On the other hand, this fossil is one of the most important for the Australian paleontology, since it is one of the only four copies this species of spider found in the area.
McClusky highlighted the importance of the discovery: “Not only is it the largest fossilized spider found in Australia, but it is the first fossil of the Barychelidae family found anywhere in the world.”
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What is the giant spider like?
The fossil showed that it is the largest species of trapdoor spiders known. These animals measure approximately 10 millimetersat most, while the Megamonodontium mccluskyi has a size of 50 millimeters long.
The fossil showed that it is the largest species of trapdoor spiders known. Photo: Unsplash.
In addition, the authors stated that the discovery takes second place for the best preserved vestige for a mygalomorphic arachnidalthough he lived in an era as old as the Miocene period.
To get an idea of this spider, McCurry indicated the existence of a very close relative in the humid forests of Singapore and Papua New Guinea. The paleontologist stressed that this relationship shows that the species began to become extinct as the terrain became more arid and abandoned its original structure.
Finally, McClusky pointed out that this living being belongs to the family of Barychelidaeknown as trappers, They usually make their trap-shaped burrows in the ground or wood. Another differential of this group is that they use their huge bodies to cover their hiding places.
