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Article written by: duddy on May 19, 2016



Title: Super strange spider found off Antarctica
Written by: duddy on May 19, 2016

(https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/6_19_05_16_2_17_51.jpeg) (https://biology-forums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=23507)

Collected from the Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica, this 9.8-inch-long (25-centimeter-long) giant sea spider was one of 30,000 animals found during a 35-day census in early 2008. The marine arachnids, which prey on hydroids and bryzoans - branching, coral-like animals - are larger and more common in Antarctic waters than anywhere else on Earth. Cold temperatures, few predators, and high levels of oxygen in seawater could explain their gargantuan size.