A new tarantula species has been discovered in our sunny state!
The critter is black and gray with red hairs on its belly and was found in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It is formally named Aphonopelma jacobii after Michael A. Jacobi, the person who helped find several of the first specimens that led to the exciting discovery.
“We often hear about new species being discovered from remote corners of Earth, but it is remarkable that these spiders are found in our own backyard, albeit in somewhat difficult-to-access areas of our backyard,” Dr. Chris Hamilton, an assistant professor at the University of Idaho who co-led the study on the new species, said in a statement.
There are actually 30 species of tarantulas that are known to live in Arizona! Tarantulas are the largest type of spiders, and while many of us have seen them, we don’t always know much about them. Adults range in size from two to four inches, and female tarantulas can live up to 35 years—though males do not have such long life spans.
They can appear frightening given their size and furry appearance, but there are no records of serious harm to humans from tarantula bites. Tarantulas possess fangs and venom, but they do not bite often and only when seriously PROVOKED.
Tarantulas in the Southwest spend most of their lives on the ground or in burrows they dig in the ground. A tarantula usually spends its life in the same burrow and hunts very close to its home. They also prefer hiding during the day and are generally nocturnal.
If a tarantula ever finds its way into your house, there’s no need for alarm. You can simply ask an adult in your home to use a broom and dustpan to gently move the critter into a cardboard box or grocery bag and carefully escort the tarantula back outside! Just be sure to throw away the box or bag used to relocate the critter because they can leave behind hairs, which can irritate human skin.
Baby Pigmy Hippo Wows the World!
CHONBURI PROVINCE, Thailand—An adorable baby pygmy hippo has hit it big worldwide, and now fortune is following her fame!
Born on June 10 at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo about an hour’s drive from Bangkok, she got the name Moo Deng, which means “bouncy pig” or “bouncy pork,” through a poll on Facebook.
Zoo visitors can’t get enough of her cuteness, and weekend crowds at Khao Kheow have more than doubled, sometimes reaching 20,000. People are drawn to her black eyes, little ears, MISCHIEVOUS mouth and chubby brown-and-pink body that glistens from being wet most of the time. News stories and social media have made her a global sensation.
As their name implies, pygmy hippos are much smaller than the ginormous Nile hippos that most people know about. The pygmy hippos only grow to around 350–600 pounds, while Nile hippos can easily weigh 10 times that!
Unfortunately, Moo Deng and her species are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature). In the wild, their numbers are dropping. But Moo Deng’s parents are part of a successful breeding program at the zoo. She has six older siblings. One is Moo Tun (Stewed Pork) and another is Moo Wan (Sweet Pork).
Zoo Director Narongwit Chodchoi says the zoo is trademarking and patenting Moo Deng’s likeness or even a cartoon version of her in hopes of bringing in even more money to help all the animals there. The baby hippo is so popular, a crypto currency called MOODENG continues to grow as of press time.
