Scarey Assassin Spiders

This little dude really freaked me out when I saw it recently – its the assassin spider from Madagascar.

Scientists say these newfound spiders are “exquisitely evolved“! Damn right – they have a poisonous bite, and deadly hunting skills.

The spiders stab their prey with their giant jaws, which are barbed at the ends with venomous fangs. To be able to lift their outsized jaws, the assassins evolved elongated necks, giving the spiders a unique ability to strike from a distance.

But arachnophobes can relax: Assassin spiders are a mere eighth of an inch (two millimeters) long and are harmless to humans. Not that I was worried.

From National Geographic

Technorati Tags: assassin spider, Madagascar, nature, spiders