SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new spider species with ancestors that date back to dinosaurs has been discovered by biologists at San Diego State University.
Biologist Marshal Hedin says he found the spiders in the Sequoia National Forest, which is about 80 miles northeast of Bakersfield.
The orange and black arachnids are called Hypochilus xomote. Researchers say their bodies are smaller than pencil erasers.
To find the distinction between them and other spiders, researchers had to use a scanning electron microscope to find key differences.
SDSU says the last time biologists discovered a new species in this particular genus was nearly 30 years ago in 1994.
