Giant Cave Spider Discovered in Oregon
Trogloraptor This newly discovered spider is so evolutionarily special that it represents not only a new genus and species, but also a new family. ZooKeysWhat other fauna lurk undiscovered? Oregon is not a safe place for arachnophobes, with at least 500 species of spiders known to inhabit forests, rotten logs and other dwellings. And now there's this guy. This new spider was found in caves in southwestern Oregon, a monumental discovery for citizen scientists from the Western Cave Conservancy and arachnologists from the California Academy of Sciences. It hangs from cave ceilings and it has extraordinary raptor-like claws, hence its name - Trogloraptor, or "cave robber." Its huge claws suggest it is a fierce predator, but no one is certain yet what it eats. It is a very strange and special spider, with some features that suggest it's a relative of the goblin spider, but with a litany of other features that...