Emily Chan
In the mountains of Ecuador, a new species of eight-eyed tarantula known as the “Satan tarantula” was discovered, and a team of scientists are trying to learn more about this elusive creature with erratic behaviors and a devilish personality.
Tarantulas are understudied in Ecuador and threatened by human activities such as mining, agriculture, and poaching.
Researchers ventured into the rainforests of central Ecuador in the spring of 2021 in search of spiders. They wanted to document as many of them as possible before they became wiped out.
Roberto León, a biology student at the University of San Francisco in Quito and a member of the Mygalomorphae Research Group, spotted the fuzzy tarantula in the crevices of a bamboo fence.
When he cornered the spider, it ran around and jumped out at the group, landing on León’s friend. León quickly placed the spider in a makeshift terrarium and brought it back to a research lab, where he realized he’d discovered a new species: Psalmopoeus satanas. He nicknamed it the “Satan tarantula.”
“Not because it was an evil spider, but because it was crazy and erratic. It was so unpredictable; it was like dealing with Satan,” León said.
The Satan tarantula was not yet fully mature when it came to the lab. It was covered with hair and was just under two inches in length.
It had eight eyes, eight legs, and a long fringe on its face. Whenever it was released from its enclosure, it liked to scurry away at high speed and sporadically lash out at the researchers.
After spending a few months in the lab, the Satan tarantula reached adulthood, growing golden hair and male reproductive organs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until he died since male tarantulas don’t live as long as females.
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