In the fascinating world of paleontology, where rocks hide secrets from the past, a group of Australian scientists recently uncovered an incredible story that was hidden in the depths of time.
Imagine yourself transported to a prehistoric setting, where strange and unknown creatures roamed the Earth. Now, add to that a spider that defies all expectations, one we've never seen before.
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This is what the recent article published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society is about. In this sense, a team of Australian scientists presented the description of a fossil spider of a previously unidentified species, called Megamonodontium mccluskyi.
Its age is between 11 and 16 million years and, to date, this is the second largest spider fossil ever recorded in the world. Australia, also being the first of its family, Barychelidae, to be identified on a global scale.
The ancient specimen was excavated just over 3 years ago at the McGraths Flat archaeological site, which dates back to the Miocene period.
Australian soil is loved by scientists because it contains deposits of an iron-rich rock called goethite. She has the ability to preserve the remains of ancient creatures.
Scientists collected the spider fossils and incorporated them into the Australian Museum's paleontology collection. Furthermore, they used scanning electron micrographs.
From this, they conducted a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the claws and bristles found on the pedipalps, legs and central body of the fossil creature.
In this sense, the importance of this study it is intrinsically linked to the vital functions performed by these structures for the animal.
Therefore, they enable the detection of chemical substances, the perception of vibrations in the environment, self-defense against possible threats and even the emission of sounds.
Furthermore, the study reveals that these fossil spiders have notable similarities with a species that still exists today. inhabits the tropical forests of Singapore, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, known as the trapdoor spider.
However, the ancient Australian arachnid is notably larger, being around five times larger than its contemporary “relatives”; Check out the image of the fossil found:
(Image: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society)
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