spiders

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Zoo Asks People to Capture Extremely Deadly Spider

Sydney funnel-web antivenom program has been saving lives since 1981

(Newser) - The Sydney funnel-web spider is considered one of the world's deadliest spiders, with the most toxic venom of any of the dozens of funnel-web species in Australia. But instead of advising people to keep their distance, a zoo north of the city has asked the public to capture the...

Pennsylvania, Your Unwanted Guests Have Arrived
Sorry, Boston:
Now You've
Got a Joro
UPDATED
Sep 26, 2024 7:55 AM CDT

Sorry, Boston: Now You've Got a Joro

Invasive but 'relatively harmless' Joro spider has been spotted in Massachusetts for first time

(Newser) - "For months, experts warned us that the invasive species was creeping north," a WBZ reporter noted on Wednesday in speaking about the Joro spider, the "flying" arachnid that's been infiltrating states along the East Coast. Now, about a week after it was spotted for the first...

New Species of Tarantula Is Found in Arizona

Aphonopelma jacobii is the 30th found in the US

(Newser) - Introducing Aphonopelma jacobii, a new species of tarantula discovered in the mountains of southeastern Arizona. A news release at EurekAlert has a photo of the creature, which has "fiery red hairs on its abdomen" and is the 30th species ever found in the US. Researchers are happy with the...

Giant Parachuting Spiders Will Be Summering in NY, NJ
Giant Parachuting
Spiders Are Back
Jun 5, 2024 9:40 AM CDT

Giant Parachuting Spiders Are Back

Invasive but usually harmless Joro spiders are headed up the East Coast, sights set on NY, NJ

(Newser) - If you're an arachnophobe living on the East Coast, you may want to hunker down in your bunker for a while: The Joro spiders are back. NJ Pest Control had warned earlier this year that the invasive species also known as Trichonephila clavata would likely be returning to the...

Report: Museum Curator Busted With 1.5K Dead Spiders, Scorpions

American Museum of Natural History's Lorenzo Prendini was detained at the airport in Istanbul

(Newser) - A curator at the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul while allegedly attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples, Turkish media reported. The curator said he had permits from the government to conduct his research. Lorenzo Prendini, an expert on arachnids at the New York-based museum, was...

'Hercules' Is Bigger Than a Baseball, Will Try to Kill You

Biggest male specimen of world's most venomous spider found in Australia

(Newser) - Wildlife experts Down Under are likely thrilled at their latest acquisition from a scientific standpoint, but mostly everyone else is keeping a healthy distance. The Australian Reptile Park in Somersby now has among its ranks the largest male specimen of the world's most venomous arachnid , a Sydney funnel-web spider...

Spiders to Intentionally Run Wild at Museum

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum is letting its creepy-crawlies have free reign over venue during exhibit

(Newser) - At one of Europe's most famous museums, life is definitely imitating art until early next year. "The museum is teeming with animals this season!" promises Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum in its promotion for "Clara and Crawly Creatures," its new exhibit focusing on insects and other creeping...

The Thing of Your Nightmares Might Actually Have Dreams

Spiders seem to experience REM sleep, with twitches suggesting they act out activities

(Newser) - You've probably seen a dog kick its legs mid-dream, as though running. Spiders apparently do much the same thing, according to a new study—the first to indicate that arachnids dream. Daniela Roessler, a postdoctoral fellow at Germany's University of Konstanz, trained infrared cameras on sleeping spiders at...

These Giant 'Flying' Spiders May Take Over East Coast

'Try to learn to live with them' is scientists' advice

(Newser) - Last fall, Georgia residents were dismayed to make the acquaintance of the Joro spider, a palm-sized, "flying" creature hailing from East Asia that showed up in the Peach State by the millions. Now, scientists say, people further north should prepare, because the 3-inch-long arachnids with bright yellow stripes, also...

Tarantula Breeder's Call Led to Discovery of New Species

Of worm, that is

(Newser) - Having a new species of worm named after you may not seem like the highest honor, but in the case of Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi, it's a worm that comes with a cinematic edge. This particular species of nematode is a tarantula-killer, hence its name, which is a nod to the...

Massive Killer Spider Found in Australia Could Save Lives

Australian Reptile Park plans to milk the 'megaspider' to make antivenom

(Newser) - If you happen to have handed over a massive spider with fangs almost an inch long to an anti-venom program in Australia, the Australian Reptile Park wants to hear from you. The park says the funnel-web spider, nicknamed "megaspider," is the largest arachnid of this kind that the...

Swarms of Millions of Spiders Flee Australia Floods

New South Wales has been hit by worst flooding in decades

(Newser) - The worst flooding in decades has forced around 18,000 people from their homes in eastern Australia—and millions of spiders are also on the move. New South Wales residents say swarms of millions of spiders trying to escape rising waters are heading for higher ground. Residents say the arachnids...

Venomous Spiders Found at University Library

The University of Michigan library was closed for a few days

(Newser) - Staff at a University of Michigan library temporarily closed the building after three venomous spiders turned up in a basement storage area, the AP reports. The Mediterranean recluse spiders were found in late January in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library on the school’s Ann Arbor campus. The library reopened Tuesday...

Feds: Guilty Pleas Coming in Crazy eBay Scheme

4 ex-employees allegedly sent live spiders to a Massachusetts couple

(Newser) - Four former eBay Inc. employees have agreed to plead guilty to their roles in a campaign of intimidation that included sending live spiders and cockroaches to the home of a Massachusetts couple who ran an online newsletter critical of the auction site, federal prosecutors said Wednesday, the AP reports. "...

Doctor Pulls Brown Recluse From a Woman's Ear

Spider moved in but didn't bite

(Newser) - That swishing sound in Susie Torres' ear sounded like water. Maybe it was caused by a recent allergy shot, she thought. The slight pain didn't let up, so she decided to have her ear examined after work. A medical assistant had one look and went for help, KSHB reports....

Afraid of Spiders? Maybe Don't Read This Story

A huntsman spider was photographed eating a pygmy possum in Tasmania

(Newser) - Add this to your lists of things likely to cause nightmares: a hand-sized spider was captured eating a pygmy possum, and the photos that were posted last week to Facebook have gone viral. The Washington Post set the scene, which took place in April at Mount Field National Park in...

Watch: Tarantula Seen Eating Opossum for First Time
Spiders' Eating Habits
Surprise Researchers
new study
Mar 1, 2019 10:27 AM CST

Spiders' Eating Habits Surprise Researchers

One is spotted feasting on an opossum in the Amazon

(Newser) - Scientists watched on in amazement as a dinner-plate-sized tarantula in the Amazon was seen eating an opossum for the first time. "We were pretty ecstatic and shocked, and we couldn't really believe what we were seeing," says Michael Grundler of the University of Michigan. The finding, recorded...

He Screamed 'Why Don't You Die!' Then, Embarrassment

Australian man trying to kill spider got a little fired up

(Newser) - Two legs good, eight legs bad—not one of the commandments from Animal Farm, but rather the deep-seated feelings of an Australian man whose reaction to a spider ended up drawing law enforcement to his home. Per the Guardian , a report came in to police that a passer-by strolling past...

Spiders Share Surprisingly Similar Trait to Mammals
Spider Milk? Researchers
Make Surprising Discovery
new study
Nov 30, 2018 8:45 AM CST

Spider Milk? Researchers Make Surprising Discovery

Researchers discover a breed in which the mothers nurse their offspring

(Newser) - It was an arachnid mystery: Scientists studying a particular type of spider couldn't figure out how the babies kept growing in the nest even though mom wasn't bringing back any food to them. Then a researcher spotted a baby clinging to its mother's abdomen. "I had...

Have Arachnophobia? Steer Clear of Aitoliko

Webs cover the trees and shrubs of the Greek town as spiders feast on flies

(Newser) - It's not quite the World Wide Web—but the spiders of Aitoliko in Greece have made a good start. Spurred into overdrive by an explosion in the populations of insects they eat, thousands of little spiders in the western Greek town have shrouded coastal trees, bushes, and low vegetation...

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