A discovery in Laos of a giant "harvestman" arachnid – its legspan exceeds one foot – highlights one of the country's lesser-known charms:
Laos has turned out to be a veritable land of giants. Other arthropods with similar huge dimensions have been found in the same region – the Laotian huntsman spider Heteropoda maxima with a leg span of up to 30 centimetres, the whip scorpion Typopeltis magnificus with a span of 26 centimetres and the predatory centipede Thereuopoda longicornis with a total span of almost 40 centimetres.
Arachnologist Dr. Peter Jäger has some theories:
All these organisms are more or less closely linked to caves in these karst areas. "What mechanisms or factors are responsible for this frequency of gigantism is still unclear", says Jäger. One possible explanation is the potentially slower rate of growth in the caves. But the only thing that seems certain is that there is a limit to growth – either due to the lack of oxygen supply to the long appendages or because when fleeing or catching prey long legs can no longer be moved quickly enough.
(Photo via Senckenberg)
The Dish 