Giant Tarantula Discovered

 Venomous Sri Lankan Spider Threatened By Deforestation ,It’s huge, fast, venomous and the size of a human face. For some, Poecilotheria rajaei, a giant tarantula discovered recently in Sri Lanka, is the stuff of nightmares.

But for wildlife advocates, the spider might represent another cause for conservation: The tree-dwelling spider is threatened by habitat destruction.

“They are quite rare,” Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of the Sri Lankan organization Biodiversity Education and Research, told Wired. “They prefer well-established old trees, but due to deforestation the number have dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat they enter old buildings.”

Although some experts would like to conduct DNA sampling to determine whether the giant tarantula is in fact a new species, taxonomical evidence strongly suggests that it is a member of the genus Poecilotheria.

Poecilotheria are tree-dwelling tarantulas that known for their bright coloring and potent venom.

In 2010, biophysicists at the University of Buffalo identified a protein in tarantula venom that showed promise as a possible treatment for muscular dystrophy.

According to National Geographic, the goliath bird eater tarantula of South America may be the largest spider in the world, with a leg-span that can reach up to a foot in diameter.

Source:amkon.net

B.N