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[Mr. Tone]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/05/seven-new-species-of-australian-spider-discovered-including-unique-tarantula

Seven new species of spider, including a type of tarantula completely new to science, have been discovered in a Northern Territory national park.

The discoveries were made by a team participating in the Bush Blitz nature program which saw 16 scientists, Indigenous rangers and field assistants, searching the 1.3m hectare Judbarra park for new species.

“The spider team, led by Dr Robert Raven from the Queensland Museum, had had their heads down all day in search of spider holes when luck finally struck and they spotted a promising burrow,” Professor David McInnes, chief executive of Earthwatch, said in a statement.

“Sophie Harrison, a PhD student from the University of Adelaide, started digging and found a tarantula so new and different that it doesn’t fit into any of the existing genus of spider species. It looks just as you’d expect, brown and hairy. But the scientists say it’s beautiful!”

Harrison told Guardian Australia the team spent “probably a good hour” digging up the burrow.

“When I was about up to my knees we finally saw a big beautiful tarantula sitting at the bottom, so that was really exciting,” she said.

She described the spider as “medium to small” on the scale of tarantulas.

“Its mouth parts are quite unique,” she said. “It’s got a unique process and obviously has never been found there before.”

The spider has been taken back to a lab, alive, to further determine its newness and test its venom.

 

[Dynedom]

Seven more to nuke from fucking orbit.

 

[Patrol]

I'm not sure I'd use the term "beautiful" to describe any spider, no less a variant of a damn tarantula. Where's the napalm?

 

[Clydefrog]

That tarantula looks harmless. It must be really cool to find a completely new species; doesn't the founder get to name it?

Theraphosidae evilorus?

 

[Toxi]

Man, makes me wonder how distinctive the tarantula was that they could immediately tell it was a new species.

Seven more to nuke from fucking orbit.

I'm not sure I'd use the term "beautiful" to describe any spider, no less a variant of a damn tarantula. Where's the napalm?

Oh be quiet and grow up you pansies.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Few, hopefully tese are even more poisonous the ones we have now are pretty weak.

 

[Juicy Bob]

Adelaide Uni should go and search around my parents' back garden for a bit.

They'd probably find seven more fucking species of spider hidden away around there...

 

[Goodlife]

So she's no idea of how poisonous it is, but puts it on her arm for a photo shoot?

Balls of steel.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Nice.

 

[Recidivus Crimen]

Other discoveries included a new species of trapdoor spider, a known species of eel in an environment it has never been seen in before and flock of endangered species.

Its awesome we're finding new species of animals. Tarantulas aren't that bad, people keep them as pets.

 

[Candeldandel]

That's so cool! She looks so happy with that cute fuzzy brown spider!!

 

[jwk94]

Seven new species of nope!

 

[Masquerader]

Yay, more adorable darlings~!

 

[Triggerhappytel]

So she's no idea of how poisonous it is, but puts it on her arm for a photo shoot?

Balls of steel.

And knowing Australia, it probably has enough venom in one bite to kill a herd of elephants.

EDIT - this is cool though. I don't really mind spiders (they eat bugs and insects which is a massive bonus in my view) and it must be very rewarding to be the one to discover a new species.

 

[BabyFaceKillah]

spiders are cool when they stay the fuck outta my space and my shit

i wouldve burned em all tho

 

[Razmos]

Oh be quiet and grow up you pansies.

Trying to make us forget the threat spiders pose eh? I'm aware of the Spider Agenda.

 

[Jay Sosa]

Trying to make us forget the threat spiders pose eh? I'm aware of the Spider Agenda.

That's rich coming from a human.

 

[Jb]

I'm beginning to think Australia is not on team human.

 

[SliceSabre]

Holy shit like you guys don't have e-fucking-nough spiders.

 

[Symphonia]

Seven more reasons why I will never live in Australia.

 

[Terra Firma]

A spider thread without an overload of spider pictures? Come on guys, step up your game.

 

[Gintoki]

I wanted to see which of them is the cutest, article doesn't provide pics of them. Oh well

 

[Freewheelin']

Man, makes me wonder how distinctive the tarantula was that they could immediately tell it was a new species.


Oh be quiet and grow up you pansies.

Look, on NeoGAF you have to be afraid of either spiders or vaginas. Luckily I am the former.

 

[Lucian Cat]

Cool! All up in the Northern Territory though. We're still safe down here for now...

 

[sirap]

Aren't tarantulas pretty chill? Buddy had one as a pet, but I still don't understand why you'd want to keep one in your house.

 

[The Cowboy]

Australia needs to get a handle on this shit, 1st they let it rain spiders and now they are letting them become more species of themselves - stop it Australia, your letting them take over.

 

[User 479360]

Seven more to nuke from fucking orbit.

This

It's nice to know even more spiders exist than we already knew about. That's good/fun news.

 

[Randy Monk]

This is Australia's coat of arms. Its about time they added a spider

 

[HazySaiyan]

This

It's nice to know even more spiders exist than we already knew about. That's good/fun news.

"The problem is we don't have ENOUGH spiders!" - nobody ever.

 

[Toxi]

Aren't tarantulas pretty chill? Buddy had one as a pet, but I still don't understand why you'd want to keep one in your house.

Tarantulas tend to be pretty chill. Old world tarantulas lack urticating hairs to fling at predators so they're quicker to bite in defense than their new world cousins, but they'd still rather run and hide.

 

[Ayumi]

Thank God Australia is its own continent, sealed away from the rest of the world.

RIP AusGAF.

 

[Acorn]

Thank God Australia is its own continent, sealed away from the rest of the world.

RIP AusGAF.

Poor New Zealand et al kicked out of Oceania

 

[Jintor]

Thank God Australia is its own continent, sealed away from the rest of the world.

RIP AusGAF.

everywhere australians go they dissolve into spiders and carry out their dark work

 

[TemplaerDude]

Oh cool I'll just continue not being in Australia then.

 

[Atrophis]

Spiders are awesome. More spiders means more awesome. Well done aussieland.

Aren't tarantulas pretty chill? Buddy had one as a pet, but I still don't understand why you'd want to keep one in your house.

Yeah they are. I used to keep one. My cats would occasionally knock it off my shelf and he would just still chill in his terrarium even if the lid came off.

 

[Cerity]

This is Australia's coat of arms. Its about time they added a spider

There are spiders on it, don't you see them?

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Yeah they are. I used to keep one. My cats would occasionally knock it off my shelf and he would just still chill in his terrarium even if the lid came off.

I hope the tarantula ate them while they slept...

 

[outunderthestars]

Man, makes me wonder how distinctive the tarantula was that they could immediately tell it was a new species.


Oh be quiet and grow up you pansies.

I knew two things about this thread before opening it:

1. That people would be cowering in fear over a small spider.
2. That you would be in here talking about how awesome spiders are.

I do love it when new species are identified. I recently submitted a moth that might be an unidentified species, so I can understand the excitement that these scientists have at the moment. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[Fenderputty]

So she's no idea of how poisonous it is, but puts it on her arm for a photo shoot?

Balls of steel.

My first thought.

 

[Unbound By Death]

It's not balls of steel , it's being silly.

 

[Mask]

Wonder how long it is before we see this species available as a pet?

Usually when a new species is discovered, once we know how endangered or easily found they are, they usually start showing up at the breeders. I'd imagine this one will be popular, considering it seems to have a nice temperament!

I'd get one.

 

[User 479360]

Thank God Australia is its own continent, sealed away from the rest of the world.

You can say that again

But it does happen to be one of the places I want to visit most.

 

[M0nochromatic]

Australia has some cool animals and some not so cool ones. It's a shame both can easily kill a man.

 

[Sephzilla]

Because of course they're in Australia

 

[Toxi]

I do love it when new species are identified. I recently submitted a moth that might be an unidentified species, so I can understand the excitement that these scientists have at the moment. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Wow, that's crazy. How do you figure you've found a new species? Was it the color or some other physical feature?

 

[Phenomic]

Look, on NeoGAF you have to be afraid of either spiders or vaginas. Luckily I am the former.

What happens if you fall into the "both" category?

This made me laugh pretty hard though to be honest, but still spiders are awful.

 

[Tabris]

Melbourne and Sydney are starting to be filled with skyscrapers. I assume these animals and insects are rarely seen in the city and it keeps reducing with all the modern buildings, right?

Australia is one of the few countries I've considered moving to once in my life but these articles always freak me out. I'm super freaked by spiders. I once woke up to a spider on my face when I was a kid in my parents home, so ever since I moved out to live on my own, I refused to live on ground floor of anything lol

 

[Toxi]

Melbourne and Sydney are starting to be filled with skyscrapers. I assume these animals and insects are rarely seen in the city and it keeps reducing with all the modern buildings, right?

Australia is one of the few countries I've considered moving to once in my life but these articles always freak me out.

The wildlife thing is an exaggerated joke; Australia isn't actually a death world. The last death from a spider bite in Australia was in the 80s.

If anything, the wildlife is one of the best things about Australia. Loads of beautiful birds like rainbow lorikeets living close to people.

 

[Omega Kirby]

How do Australians even survive.

 

[Antiwhippy]

everywhere australians go they dissolve into spiders and carry out their dark work

When the stars align we will summon atlach-nacha, the spider god, and sacrifice ourselves in madness.