Nephila Jurassica: 165-Million-Year-Old Giant Spider Fossil
Thursday, April 21, 2011 - 14:20
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Nephila, orb web weavers of golden silk traps up to five feet in diameter that snare bats in tropical regions, have a new relative that lived with the dinosaurs 165 million years ago and named it Nephila jurassica. The previous oldest member of the family found was Cretaraneus vilaltae from Spain and the new find stretches nephila genus evolution back another 130 million years - and to Mongolia, when the north China block was part of the Pangaeasupercontinent. Nephila jurassica is also only the second female fossil nephilid to be described. read more