Every day, scientists are learning of more and more new species of animals, insects, and microorganisms that inhabit the Earth. New species are almost inevitable, considering just how vast the Earth is, and how many stones remain unturned.
This time, scientists are claiming they’ve discovered a new species of spider. But as exciting as that may be, there’s something very peculiar about this new spider that’s even more interesting: it looks just like the Sorting Hat from the popular Harry Potter movie series.
Image Credit: Sumukha J. N/Warner Bros/ScienceAlert
Okay, so the spider probably doesn’t yell, “Gryffindor!” with an ultra-deep voice just like the hat might, but it certain resembles the conical hat shape right down to the little ripple at the top.
Honoring the movie, scientists have named the new spider species Eriovixia gryffindori. The findings appear in the Indian Journal of Arachnology.
The new spider species was reportedly discovered in the Kan Forest of Western Ghats in Southern India, where it was lurking in an almost invisible manner because of how well it camouflages with its environment.
Measuring at no more than about 7 millimeters in length, it wasn’t very simple to spot.
"As a youngster, I was very fond of reading Harry Potter books. So, when I encountered this tiny spider, I thought of the magical hat," Javed Ahmed told The Times of India.
"We're excited to have found this new spider whose shape is similar to the magical sorting hat owned by the wizard [Gryffindor]. The discovery was made in Kans forest area of Karnataka.”
This reportedly isn’t the first new spider Ahmed and his colleagues are responsible for finding. In the last two years, he’s reportedly discovered at least five new spider species.
The Sorting Hat-like spider, on the other hand, belongs to the Eriovixia genus, which mean its joins about 20 other spiders that all weave orb-like webs.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is reportedly honored to be behind a book series that served as inspiration for the name of a new spider species, as indicated by her Twitter activity.
Source: Fox News Science, ScienceAlert
