A new and large species of spider has been found living in Queensland, Australia, and researchers say it’s in need of protection. Rare and colorful, the tarantula-like creature is a type of ...

A trap door with silken hinges might sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it's actually something that comes out of some spiders — and there's a new species to add to the list.

Not surprisingly, Australia was home to giant spiders, even in prehistoric times. Scientists have recently identified the fossil of a giant trapdoor spider in Australia.

Trapdoor spiders traditionally have a life span between five and 20 years. While females stay in or near their burrows, males leave once they are mature and go in search of a mate.

A new "big, beautiful" kind of giant trapdoor spider has been discovered in Australia, and scientists say it's a rare find. The newly discovered species, Euoplos dignitas, was found in the ...

Australia is also home to other massive spiders, like a mega spider found in 2021.Much like this new species of trapdoor spider, scientists were intrigued to discover that such a spider existed.

Trapdoor spiders lay claim to being the oldest recorded living spiders in the world that we know of. Porongurup is home to two species of trapdoor spider, the brown Cataxia (above) and the black ...

The spiders typically measure about 1.5cm, and up to 3cm for male trapdoor spiders, while female members of the species can live for over 20 years in the wild and grow up to 5cm long.

Trapdoor spiders live underground in burrows of up to 30 centimetres deep, ranging from 2cm to around 20cm wide. These are covered with a trapdoor-like lid made of soil, silk and plants.

That’s because this particular giant trapdoor spider fossil is estimated to be around 11 to 16 million years old. A trapdoor spider watches from its hatch in Australia’s Springbrook National Park.