New Sri Lanka Spider as big a you face! And venomous!
The new species of tarantula (Poecilotheria rajaei) was found in northern Sri Lanka and first discovered in 2009 when villagers took a dead spider to experts. After extensive searching, a female and several juveniles were found living in the old doctor’s quarters of a hospital in Mankulam, by researchers from Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organisation.
The female spider (Picture: Ranil Nanayakkara/British Tarantula Society)Huge spider as big as your Face (Picture: Ranil Nanayakkara/British Tarantula Society)
Distinctive markings on the underside of the tarantula (Picture: Ranil Nanayakkara/British Tarantula Society)
A new species of venomous tarantula has been discovered – and it’s as big as your face.It was tracked down in war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka after villagers took a spider to experts after they had killed it in 2009.The scientists suspected the dead arachnid was a previously unknown type and confirmed the theory after setting off to find its living relatives.
‘Days of extensive searching in every tree hole and bark peel were rewarded with a female and, to our satisfaction, several juveniles too,’ said researcher Ranil Nanayakkara.
The tarantulas – part of the tiger spider genus – have distinctive markings including daffodil-yellow colouring on their legs and a pink band around their stomachs.
In the late 80s I started investigating UFOs and crop circles and joined the CCCS (Centre for Crop Circle Studies) and a local group researching strange sightings and reports along the south coast of Dorset (UK). In the early ’90s I started my own research group called SPS (Strange Phenomena Studies), this was renamed in 2004 to Cryptoworld.
