Fossil Of Giant Prehistoric Spider Found In Australia

We all try to avoid things that make us feel uncomfortable. And spiders are right on top in this list. But latest discovery in Australia is set to make people more uncomfortable. A prehistoric version of the eight-legged arthropod has been discovered in the form of fossil in New South Wales. The spider is a giant trapdoor, and only the fourth specimen of its kind to be found in the country. According to Australian Museum, the fossil spider has been named Megamonodontium mccluskyi.

It is between 11-16 million years old. The findings on this new genus of spider have been published in the 2023 Zoological Journal of Linnean Society.

The creature is a brushed trapdoor spider, but five times larger.

"Only four spider fossils have ever been found throughout the whole continent, which has made it difficult for scientists to understand their evolutionary history. That is why this discovery is so significant, it reveals new information about the extinction of spiders and fills a gap in our understanding of the past," palaeontologist Dr Matthew McCurry was quoted as saying by the museum on its website.

"The closest living relative of this fossil now lives in wet forests in Singapore through to Papua New Guinea. This suggests that the group once occupied similar environments in mainland Australia but have subsequently gone extinct as Australia became more arid," he added.

The spider was found among many other Miocene-era fossils. In some of them, the fossils were so well preserved that subcellular structures could be made out.