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Fossil of a 'giant' Trapdoor spider found in Australia (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 1 year ago by Treevan@aussie.zone to c/environment@aussie.zone

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The fossil is between 11 to 16 million-years-old and was found in the centre of Australia in a very dry region of New South Wales, called McGraths Flat.

It's thought to be the first of this particular species to be found - and only the fourth spider fossil discovered in Australia.

Let's not take all the excitement away, this is, after all, still the second largest spider fossil ever found.

Palaeontologist Matthew McCurry, of the University of New South Wales and the Australian Museum, said: "Only four spider fossils have ever been found throughout the whole continent, which has made it difficult for scientists to understand their evolutionary history."That is why this discovery is so significant, it reveals new information about the extinction of spiders and fills a gap in our understanding of the past.

"Not only is it the largest fossilized spider to be found in Australia but it is the first fossil of the family Barychelidae that has been found worldwide," says arachnologist Robert Raven of Queensland Museum.

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[–] Dave_r@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Needs fossilized banana for scale...

[–] Treevan@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Anyone using stable diffusion or one of the image generators? I'm sure it could happen.

Bonus points for using the extinct Daintree Banana - https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2896063