An artist’s rendition of what a giant prehistoric spider may have looked like standing near a modern-day building. A ‘mega spider’ fossil has just been discovered in Australia. This colossal arachnid was five times the size of today’s spiders and could easily haunt your nightmares.
Credit: Shutterstock, mypokcik
A ‘mega spider’ fossil has recently been found in Australia. This monstrous arachnid is one of the biggest ‘mega spider’ fossils ever found. It was five times larger than its modern-day counterparts and could give you nightmares.
A discovery that will give arachnophobes the jelly knees- a monstrous spider fossil, one of the largest ever found, has been uncovered in the place we are all thinking of, of course, it’s Australia. Where else? And it’s nothing short of spine-tingling.
The terrifying discovery, dubbed Megamonodontium Mccluskyi, lived a whopping 16 million years ago in the heart of Australia. Standing at five times the size of today’s spiders, this creature would’ve been a sight to behold – and not in a good way. It would have been the size of a human baby, scuttling around wiggling it’s giant fangs, looking for things to creep up on.
The offensively large arachnid was discovered by Dr. Simon McClusky, after whom the species was named. The fossil, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, marks the second-largest spider fossil in the world. And it’s leaving researchers in a flurry.
The arachnid of nightmares
Imagine a spider so big it could probably steal your breakfast and strut away like it’s nobody’s business. The Megamonodontium Mccluskyi would have made today’s giant spiders look like tiny specks by comparison. “It was five times larger than its modern-day relatives,” explained Dr. Matthew McCurry, the study’s lead author. “This discovery is a key piece in understanding the evolution and extinction of these fearsome creatures.”
Researchers believe the Megamonodontium was closely related to the Monodontium, or trapdoor spider, which still lurks in humid forests across Southeast Asia. But as Australia became more arid, this once-feared arachnid slowly vanished from the Australian landscape.
“This fossil is invaluable,” McCurry continued. “There have only been four spider fossils found across the entire continent, making it incredibly difficult to piece together their evolutionary story.”
A spider fossil discovery like no other
This isn’t just another dusty fossil – it’s a jaw-dropping, perfectly preserved snapshot of a terrifying predator. In fact, it’s the largest fossil of a trapdoor spider ever found in Australia, and the first fossil of its particular family, Barychelidae, to be discovered anywhere in the world.
With 300 species of living trapdoor spiders today, this find is rare indeed. These spiders prefer the comfort of burrows, so they’re hardly ever in a position to fossilise. But somehow, this one did.
The last giant spider fossil we saw was unearthed back in 2011 in China. That specimen was a female spider that lived 165 million years ago and belonged to the famous golden silk orb-weaver family. At 15 centimetres long, she was a beast in her own right. But compared to the Megamonodontium, she’s just a minor contender.
Australia’s latest fossil discovery proves that when it comes to giant creepy crawlers and things that are out to get you, Australia is and has probably always been king.
So, next time you’re on the Aussie outback, spare a thought for the terrifying arachnids that once ruled the land – and just in case, don’t walk around barefoot. You never know.
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