From Box Jelly Fish and Tiger Sharks to Taipan Snakes and Saltwater Crocodiles, Australia is home to dangerous animals in the world. But the spiders on the continent have become far more notorious over the years. There are over 10,000 species of spiders in Australia. Arachnids like the Redback Spiders and the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider are so feared that kids ages 6 to 10 are taught how to live among them as a part of their school's curriculum.
A recent discovery suggests that spiders were a frightening part of Australia's ecosystem long before the Prehistoric Era began. Australian scientists found the ancient remains of the most enormous spider on record, embedded in a goethite rock near a grassland called the McGraths Flat in central New South Wales. The fossil was named "Megamonodontium mccluskyi" after scientists surmised that its species likely patrolled the area's rainforest between 10 and 16 million years ago. The discovery of this Trapdoor spider is significant because only four fossilized spiders have ever been discovered in Australia, despite the fact that the continent is practically known for its unique array of arachnids.
Source: Twitter