Arachnid population increases as scientists discover 50 new species of spiders in Australia!

(Image for representational purposes only)

New Delhi: As per a recent research, spiders are one of the most prolific predators on the planet, surpassing the likes of humans and whales.

If that and the humongous amount of spider species existing in the world wasn't enough to scare the daylights out of arachnophobics, scientists have dicovered 50 new species of the mighty arachnids in Australia, including a peacock spider which shows 'wonderful courtship behaviour like dancing'.

The new arachnids include a brush-footed trap-door spider, a large black creature that looks like a funnel web with the added power of being able to walk up glass doors, a new species of swift spider, with fuzzy black and white front legs and several new species of ant spider, said researchers University of Queensland in Australia.

The research expedition was conducted on Quinkan country, near Cooktown, which is currently being considered for national heritage listing, 'The Guardian' reported.

The ecological richness of the area, combined with a successful wet season which made the area green and thriving, meant researchers were discovering new species every day, said Barbara Baehr, a research biologist at the University of Queensland.

Researchers are now in the process of describing a number of spiders for formal scientific classification.

(With PTI inputs)