Untitled Document
 Are
you scared of spiders? Many people are. In fact, a poll conducted by research company
Gallup in 2001 found that 15 percent of men and 38 percent of women
in the United States are scared of spiders. If spiders give you goose bumps, you may want
to be extra cautious if you ever visit
Sri Lanka, an island country off the southern coast of India. Recently,
scientists there discovered a giant species of tarantula. How big
is the tarantula? It’s about the size of a person’s face!
 The
spider’s scientific name is Poecilotheria rajaei. That comes from
the Greek words poikilos, which means “spotted,” and therion, or “wild
beast.” Rajaei comes from a local police inspector who helped
the team of scientists find the tarantula. The Poecilotheria rajaei
has a leg span that measures 20 centimeters!
It is covered in gray, pink, and yellow spots and is venomous, although the venom
is not fatal to humans. They are
related to a class of South American tarantula that includes the Goliath
bird-eating spider, which is considered the largest spider in the
world. The bird-eater’s leg span measures 25 centimeters and can weigh
up to 6 ounces!
 The
Poecilotheria rajaei was first discovered in 2009. A villager
found the body of a male and took it to Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder
of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organization. Since
then, Mr. Nanayakkara has been trying to find more of the spiders
in the forests of the island country. Although scientists are unsure
as to whether the Poecilotheria rajaei is endangered, they fear that
its natural habitat is slowly being destroyed. “They are quite rare,”
Mr. Nanayakkara said. “They prefer well-established old trees,
but due to deforestation, the number has dwindled.”
 Unfortunately,
several species of tarantulas are endangered. Tarantulas have hairy
bodies and are usually larger than other types of spiders. Some species
of tarantula can live up to 25 years. Spiders are different from insects
because they have eight legs with two body segments, while insects have
six legs and three body segments.
If you hate spiders, the Poecilotheria rajaei may sound scary and
disgusting. However, they
deserve to be protected. Hopefully, scientists and the Sri Lankan
government can save this unique tarantula! |
|
|
|
