New Species Of "Rare Gigantic" Trapdoor Spider Found In Australia, Pics Go Viral

A rare and gigantic trapdoor spider was discovered by researchers at the Queensland Museum of Australia. The rare specie was found hiding beneath a trapdoor made of silk and soil west of Brisbane.

The scientific name of this species of 'trapdoor spider' is 'Euoplos dignitas'. The body of this spider is approximately 5 cm (2 inches) in length, excluding the legs. Euoplos dignitas is a large trapdoor spider that lives in open woodland habitats and builds its burrows in the black soils of the Central Queensland region.

According to the press release by Queensland Museum Network, the name of this new species is derived from the Latin dignitas meaning dignity or greatness, reflecting the impressive size and nature of the spider.

This species is known from only a very few locations around Eidsvold and Monto in Central Queensland and has lost much of its habitat to land clearing, which makes it likely to be an endangered species.

The internet called the trapdoor spider scary and many got freaked out from the image. A user wrote, "Terrifyingly huge".

Another user commented, "Plenty of them in Biloela. Have seen a few come up out of the creek after a rain event."

The discovery was made by the Project DIG team of the Queensland Museum.