What's new about huge spiders ?

The Cerbalus aravensis has been found by a team of scientists from
the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim in the giant
dune of Sands of Samar/southern Arava region of Israel, (Jan 2010).
But the Samar sands' site is desapparing : if once it covered as many
as 2.7 square miles, lately it's reduced to approximately 1 square mile.
Should this trend continues, the Cerbalus aravensis wouldn't survive.


(It's funny how, by enlarging Yael Olek's photo, an elderly person with white hair
and beard appears).


(Pictures Yael Olek and Roy Talbi)

This spider's leg-span can reach up to 14 cm., which makes it the largest
spider of its type in the Middle East. Even though details are still lacking to
enable a full analysis of its biology and of its population in the sands, the
scientists know that this is a nocturnal spider, mostly active in the hottest
months of the year, and that it constructs an underground den which is
closed with a "lifting door" made of sand particles that are glued together
to camouflage the den.
(more...)
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