September 1, 2017

On remote Deserta Grande Island in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a very rare and endangered spider is fighting for survival. A single valley on the island is home to the Deserta wolf spider (Hogna ingens), a stout and hairy burrowing spider found nowhere else on Earth. Deserta Grande is a small island among Portugal’s Madeira Islands. Deserta Grande once had a large population of these unique spiders, but habitat loss has reduced their numbers to an estimated 4,000 in the wild—a shockingly small population for an entire species of invertebrates (animals without backbones). The island, uninhabited by people, has fallen victim to an invasive grass that binds the soil so tightly that the spiders cannot burrow into it. This deprives the spiders of home and shelter, and their numbers have been greatly reduced. Help is on the way, however. At Bristol Zoo Gardens in the United Kingdom, Curator of Invertebrates Mark Bushell has begun raising his own Deserta wolf spiders, and he is part of a wider plan to replenish the spiders’ numbers on little Deserta Grande.

Mark Bushell shows off a tiny Deserta wolf spiderling at Bristol Zoo Gardens in the United Kingdom. Credit: © Bristol Zoo

In 2016, Bushell and Bristol Zoo veterinarian Richard Saunders traveled to Deserta Grande, where they collected 25 of the impressive black-and-white wolf spiders. The spiders are quite large, measuring up to 4 ¾ inches (12 centimeters) across, with a body size of 1 ½ inches (4 centimeters). Bushell and Saunders brought the spiders back to the zoo and have since successfully bred them. Tiny spiderlings, about 3/20 of an inch (4 millimeters) wide, emerged from tiny eggs, and the original 25 spiders have now multiplied to more than 1,000. The young spiders are incredibly delicate, however, and require committed and faithful care. In early 2018, Bushell will begin returning some of the spiders to their native island. Other young Deserta wolf spiders will go to other zoos to set up further safety net populations.

A conservation strategy to restore the native habitat on Deserta Grande is also in the works, a collaborative effort of the Bristol Zoo, the Instituto das Florestas e Conservação de Natureza of Madeira, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Switzerland. Working with local park rangers, the aim is to control or eradicate the invasive grass and restore the full breadth of the spider’s habitat. The Deserta wolf spider is listed as critically endangered, but it is not yet protected by any legislation.

June 17, 2016

Ready to meet spiders you’re not afraid of? Seven new species of peacock spiders have been discovered, and instead of running for cover or screaming from the sight of them, you’ll want to watch and hold these tiny jumping spiders with dazzling colors and fancy dance moves. Peacock spiders, found only in Australia, are less than a ¼ of an inch (6 millimeters) long. Males from these species are brightly colored and have elaborate rolling and shaking dances and displays to win over potential mates. A male peacock spider has to be careful, though: if the female is unimpressed, she may decide to eat him instead!

Peacock spiders are jumping spiders. Jumping spiders don’t spin webs, instead they hunt by sneaking up and pouncing on their prey. These spiders have short legs, but they can jump more than 40 times the length of their bodies. Thick, colored hairs cover their bodies, especially on their first pair of legs (out of four pairs, remember). Jumping spiders possess excellent vision. Male jumping spiders rank among the most colorful of all spiders and use their colors to attract females.

Jurgen Otto, a German-born Australian scientist, discovered and named these new peacock spiders—along with spider experts David Knowles and David Hill—and published his findings in Peckhamia, the American jumping spider journal (you knew there was one, right?). Otto saw his first peacock spider in 2005, while he was on a family walk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in New South Wales, near Sydney. Something flashy and small jumped in his path. After first spotting these spiders with jewel-colored tail flaps, it took him three years to find them again. So, if you see a tiny spider jumping on the ground, don’t step on it, it might just be a brand new species—hopefully, a swaggering, romantic species with fancy dance moves, like these newly discovered peacock spiders!