And if those dunes are in Israel's Negev Desert, then you might be in for quite a big surprise. We are constantly surprised by the discovery of new species on our planet - but then, on reflection, not surprised, given the diversity of life and the limits of our knowledge, the places we really don't know much about. However, we generally expect new species to be from the small and microscopic end of the spectrum of sizes, tiny critters that have successfully hidden themselves away until their chance discovery. We are surprised when something new and large turns up, and even more so when it turns out to having been living next door to us as opposed to in the depths of the ocean or a corner of a far-flung rainforest. So Cerbalus aravensis is something of a surprise. This gigantic spider has just been discovered inhabiting the Samar dunes in the Arava region north of the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. This is not a spider you would think would be easily missed - its leg span is nearly 15 cm, 6 inches and it's the largest spider of its type in the Middle East. OK, it's nocturnal and spends its days in a burrow in the dune, the entrance cleverly disguised by a lifting door constructed out of glued-together grains of sand, but even so.....
The discovery was made by a team of scientists from the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim (photo by Yael Olek, courtesy of the University of Haifa). One of the reasons that the team was studying this area of dunes is that it is recognised as a unique and important habitat that is under threat. The Samar dunes were never exactly a sea of sand - in the past they extended only over an area of seven square kilometres - but they now cover less than three. Agriculture, infrastructure shutting off the supply of sand, and, most destructively, mining of the high quality sand for construction purposes, have all conspired to dramatically shrink their extent, and there's little sign of this stopping. Yet, despite their limited and diminishing extent, and the recent disappearance of inhabitants such as the Sand Cat (Felis margarita) or the Rüppell's Fox (Vulpes rueppelli), the dunes remain a habitat for a remarkable diversity of life, mammals, snakes, birds, insects, plants - and previously unknown giant spiders. What else is there that we don't know about? As Uri Shanas, leader of the research team, remarks, "The new discovery shows how much we still have to investigate, and that there are likely to be many more species that are unknown to us. If we do not preserve the few habitats that remain for these species, they will become extinct before we can even discover them."
But the Samar dunes are a classic example of conflicts between preservation, commerce, and politics. Part of the problem historically has been the theft of sand (another example of seemingly unlikely illegal trafficking - but it's valuable stuff). The solution identified by the authorities has been to license sand mining over a third of the area of dunes - “If it’s available legally, there will be less motivation to steal it." This has, understandably, been challenged and, as far as I can tell, the controversy continues.
Meanwhile, we need to find out what else might be lurking in the dunes....
[For reports on Cerbalus aravensis, see Wired Science, Science Daily, and similar news sites. See also useful discussions of the controversy and the inhabitants of the Samar dunes, and an article from Haaretz on sand commerce]
This new spider called Cerbalus aravensis. The home of this spider is also diminishing and soon will be gone!The places where this animal has it’s home is on the sand dunes of the desert. Isreal land administration is talking about another mining operation. If they do open another mining operation these great and magestic animals may be gone for ever.
Posted by: Cerbalus aravensis | February 10, 2011 at 06:56 AM