Mastodawn

https://inaturalist.org Observation of the Day for Apr 2, 2026: Paramantis natalensis [Insecta], by user: nishthi
[via @inatrepostbot]
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/346153351
Kwadukuza Municipality, South Africa
2026-03-30T12:38:30+02:00
Credit: (c) Nishthi Singh, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
See more: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/inat-observation-of-the-day
#inaturalist #inaturalistorg #citizenscience #paramantisnatalensis #paramantisnatalensis #kwadukuzamunicipality #southafrica #insecta #animals #arthropods #hexapods #insects #wingedandoncewingedinsects #mantises #extantmantises #mantids

RDN 1d ago

A fossil found in 1981 in Utah has recently been identified as a chelicerate--a relative of spiders and horseshoe crabs--and pushes the origin of that group back by 20 million years, from the Ordovician to the Cambrian.

Summary: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121624

Original paper (not open access): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10284-2

#Science #Paleontology #Arthropods #Chelicerates #Evolution

A 500-million-year-old clawed predator rewrites the origin of spiders and horseshoe crabs

Harvard researchers reveal the earliest known Chelicerata in a new study published in Nature. The 500-million-year-old fossil, named Megachelicerax cousteaui, provides unequivocal evidence of chelicera, a feature never before seen in Cambrian arthropods. The discovery pushes back the origin of chelicerates by at least 20 million years and proves their distinctive body plan emerged during the Cambrian explosion.

EurekAlert!

Ryan Hodnett 2d ago

Six-spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton)

#Spider #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #Arachnid #Arachnids #Spiders #Animal #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Arthropod #Arthropods #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

michael 2d ago

1-Apr-2026
A 500-million-year-old clawed predator rewrites the origin of #spiders and #horseshoeCrabs

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1121624

#science #evolution #ecology #arachnids #arthropods

A 500-million-year-old clawed predator rewrites the origin of spiders and horseshoe crabs

Harvard researchers reveal the earliest known Chelicerata in a new study published in Nature. The 500-million-year-old fossil, named Megachelicerax cousteaui, provides unequivocal evidence of chelicera, a feature never before seen in Cambrian arthropods. The discovery pushes back the origin of chelicerates by at least 20 million years and proves their distinctive body plan emerged during the Cambrian explosion.

EurekAlert!