Dangerous tarantula with horn on its back discovered by scientists
Arachnophobes in Australia have enough on their plates with the copious amounts of native spiders that inhabit the nation.
So imagine their reaction when they find out scientists have discovered a new species of tarantula with a giant horn protruding from its back.
Thankfully for Australians, they are only likely to ever encounter the new discovery in their nightmares as the spider is found in Africa.
The tarantula was found during an expedition in Angola by entomologist Ian Engelbrecht and his colleague, John Midgley, from Rhodes University in South Africa.
The pair were a part of the National Geographic’s Okavango Wilderness Project focusing on the biodiversity of the central African region.
“No other spider in the world possesses a similar protuberance,” the scientists wrote in biodiversity research journal African Invertebrates.
It has since been named Ceratogyrus attonitifer, with the latter Latin word meaning “bearer of astonishment”.
Mr Engelbrecht and Mr Midgley said the discovery only cemented the importance of the project’s continued work.
“The general paucity of biodiversity data for Angola is clearly illustrated by this example, highlighting the importance of collecting specimens in biodiversity frontiers,” the scientists wrote.
The scientists are stumped over the horn’s usage, but believe it may have something to do with muscles that operate the sucking stomach of the spider.
The scientists said locals were well aware of the spider and kept their distance from it.
“They mention that it is not highly venomous, but dangerous, even life-threatening, as the bites can lead to infection and medical access is limited,” Mr Midgley told website Science Alert.
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