"Giant Dinosaur Spider Fossil Unearthed in Australia"

Scientists have discovered a fossilized giant trapdoor spider in New South Wales, Australia, dating back 11 to 16 million years ago, making it the second-largest spider fossil ever found globally. The new species, named Megamonodontium mccluskyi, belonged to the large brush-footed trapdoor spider family, Barychelidae, and its discovery provides new insights into the evolutionary history and extinction of spiders. The well-preserved fossil, found in a grassland region, revealed minute details of the spider's body, indicating its close relation to the modern genus of Monodontium but five times larger in size. This significant finding has been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.