Plate-sized tarantula found in Sri Lanka

Three years ago a similar spider killed a man in the Indian village of Mankulam.

The locals then managed to kill the insect and show it to the biologists. Scientists immediately realized that the dead spider was unique in its size, so a group of researchers went in search of a live specimen.

And recently the search was successful - a live tarantula was found in the premises of the abandoned village hospital.

According to scientists, this species of tarantula is very rare.
They usually live in rotted trees, but because of habitat reduction due to deforestation, spiders are making their way into abandoned buildings.
This species, Poecilotheria rajaei, belongs to the class of South American tarantulas, which includes the largest tarantulas. The leg length of this tarantula reaches 20 cm.

Biologists believe that no matter what, wildlife continues to survive by adapting to changing conditions - but at the same time, by destroying habitats, we are condemning to extinction species we don't even know about.

According to the foreign press for ForTrader.ru