Wildlife YouTuber discovers new species of tarantula

[Jilly_in_VA]

A wildlife YouTuber from Thailand discovered the first tarantula known to exclusively live in hollowed-out bamboo stalks.

JoCho Sippawat, a YouTuber with 2.5 million subscribers and 1.9 million Facebook followers, found the previously unknown tarantula while on a wilderness trip near his home in northwestern Thailand, according to a Jan. 12 news release.

Upon returning, Sippawat emailed a photo of the tarantula to arachnologist Narin Chomphuphuang, who researches spiders at Khon Kaen University. Chomphuphuang then embarked on a field trip, with Sippawat and fellow arachnologist Chaowalit Songsangchote, to confirm that the tarantula was previously undiscovered.

Researchers determined that the spider belongs to a new genus and species. They named it Taksinus bambus, in honor of the 18th century Thai king Taksin the Great.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/wildlife-youtuber-discovers-new-species-tarantula-rcna13104

[Karadeniz]

1. I'm just thankful I wasn't the one to find him!!!

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. YouTube is good for lots of things

It has positive sides. Tarantulas are interesting. Most of them are benign to people. I don't particularly want one crawling on me, but I've found them fun to observe at a distance, like in an aquarium type tank. Friends of mine have had them as pets and I've seen them at zoos.