Fast, Venomous, Face-Sized Tiger Spider Found in Sri Lanka
Posted on April 3, 2013
Smithsonian reports that Poecilotheria rajaei, a new species of Tiger Spider, has been found in Sri Lanka. The large spider has a leg span of eight inches. It is also poisonous and very fast. The discovery was reported in the British Tarantula Society journal. You can read the article here.
The researchers say, "The spiders of the genus Poecilotheria are known for their large size, colourful markings, their lightening-fast speed and their potent venom."
The spider was discovered by Ranil Nanayakkara and his team of researchers. It was named after Michael Rajakumar Purajah, a local police inspector, who worked tirelessly to help find it. The arboreal spiders prefer living in old trees, but one was found in a doctor's house. The researchers say in their report that although these spiders generally inhabit bark peels and tree hollows they do display a tendency to enter human dwellings that border forested areas during the monsoonal period.
Wired reports that Robert Raven, an arachnologist and curator at the Queensland Museum in Australia, is not completely convinced yet that the large spider is a new species.
Ranil Nanayakkara told the Daily News, "It was slightly smaller than the size of the plate we have dinner on."
The Daily News story also has a video of the spider going for a walk.
Image: Ranil Nanayakkara / British Tarantula Society
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