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Title : Scientists discover bizarre tarantula with a soft HORN protruding from the back of its head
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Scientists discover bizarre tarantula with a soft HORN protruding from the back of its head

Scientists discover bizarre tarantula with a soft HORN protruding from the back of its head

• Researchers discovered the horned tarantulas during surveys in central Angola
• Though other horned spiders exist, new species is unique in that its horn is soft 
• It hunts insects, is equipped with venom that isn't typically dangerous to humans

By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com

Published: 23:23 GMT, 12 February 2019 | Updated: 23:23 GMT, 12 February 2019

A new species of tarantula discovered in Angola is quite unlike anything scientists have seen before.

The unusual creature boasts a long, backward-facing horn that juts from its head – and, unlike other so-called unicorn spiders, the Angola species’ protuberance is completely soft.

Researchers say the new tarantula belongs to a group known as the horned baboon spiders, though the purpose of its strange horn is so far still a mystery.

The unusual creature discovered in Angola boasts a long, backward-facing horn that juts from its head – and, unlike other so-called unicorn spiders, the Angola species’ protuberance is completely soft

HOW DO TARANTULAS SHED THEIR SKIN? 

Tarantulas have a stiff outer shell known as an exoskeleton which protects the spider's internal organs.

But to grow larger, they must shed their previous exoskeleton, and grow a new one.

To do this, the tarantula must contract its abdomen, pushing fluid into the upper body. It does this several times in its life.

Before the tarantula starts moulting, it goes through several other physical changes.

A bald spot on the spider's abdomen becomes larger, and the skin underneath changes from pink to black.

The tarantula's eating habits also change in the lead-up to the molting.

The tarantula stops eating entirely and lays still for two weeks before it molts.

A team with the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project has described the newly discovered species (Ceratogyrus attonitifer) in a new paper, published to the journal African invertebrates.

Researchers discovered several female specimens during surveys in central Angola between 2015 and 2016.

Their burrows were commonly found hidden in tufts of grass, though a few were also found out in the open sand.

After locating a burrow, the researchers waited until nightfall to go back and retrieve the specimens – which were quick to attack anything put in their way.

All that’s currently known about the newly described species comes from the reports of local indigenous people, who refer to it as ‘chandachuly.’

According to the locals, these tarantulas typically prey on insects and are equipped venom that isn’t known to be very dangerous to humans, for the most part.

In the few reported cases of fatalities, the researchers say infected bites that were left untreated were to blame.

The discovery now substantially extends the known range of Angola’s baboon spiders, though none of the others appear anything like this one.

‘The new species of Ceratogyrus described here is remarkable,’ the researchers write in the new paper.

According to the locals, these tarantulas typically prey on insects and are equipped venom that isn’t known to be very dangerous to humans, for the most part. It belongs to a group known as horned baboon spiders, though the purpose of its soft horn is so far still a mystery

Their burrows were commonly found hidden in tufts of grass, though a few were also found out in the open sand. According to the researchers, the tarantulas were quick to attack anything put in their way. The defensive pose is shown above

‘No other spider in the world possesses a similar foveal protuberance. The function of the foveal protuberance, or “horn,” in Ceratogyrus is uncertain.’

The newfound spider’s horn is ‘unique in its length, as well as being soft,’ the researchers say, ‘whereas this structure is fully sclerotized [hardened] in all other genera where it is known to occur.’

In addition to the strange new species, the researchers say they may also have come across two others previously unknown to science, though more information is needed before a formal description can be made.

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