Hook-Legged Spider Found in Oregon Cave

The discovery could help explain legends about giant spiders living in caves in the region.



A group of cave explorers and scientists have made a rare discovery: an entirely new taxonomic family of spider in the caves of southern Oregon.

Only two other spider families (the taxonomic group above both genus and species) have been found since 1990, and this is the first newly discovered, native one uncovered in North America since 1890, said California Academy of Sciences researcher Charles Griswold, lead author of the study that described the species.

Hook-Legged Spider Found in Oregon Cave : Discovery News