{"id":29210,"date":"2024-05-15T15:18:39","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T19:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/bizarre-creature-that-hunts-like-an-assassin-discovered-as-new-species-see-it\/15\/05\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-05-15T15:18:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T19:18:39","slug":"bizarre-creature-that-hunts-like-an-assassin-discovered-as-new-species-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/bizarre-creature-that-hunts-like-an-assassin-discovered-as-new-species-see-it\/15\/05\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Bizarre\u2019 creature \u2014 that hunts like an \u2018assassin\u2019 \u2014 discovered as new species. See it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n<\/p>\n

\n

Hidden in the leaves of a park in Australia, a \u201cbizarre\u201d-looking creature searched for its next meal, its \u201cspear-like\u201d appendages at the ready.<\/p>\n

Visiting scientists spotted the predatory animal \u2014 and discovered a new species.<\/p>\n

Researchers visited a park in Whitsunday, Queensland, several times between 2023 and 2024 to survey local wildlife<\/a>, according to a May 14 study in the peer-reviewed Australian Journal of Taxonomy.<\/p>\n

They were looking for a \u201cbizarre group\u201d of spiders scientifically known as Austrarchaea or pelican spiders, the study said. These \u201ciconic\u201d spiders are specialized predators that feed on other spiders with \u201clong, spear-like\u201d appendages. Their hunting strategy has earned them the nickname \u201cassassin spiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

During their visits to the park, researchers found eight unfamiliar-looking spiders, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and realized they\u2019d discovered a new species: Austrarchaea andersoni, or the Whitsunday hinterland pelican spider.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"An