Amid the plush greenery surrounding the jungle, nature also seems to have a weakness for other colours.
Recently, a brand new study revealed the invention of a surprising species of blue tarantula in Thailand. Details of the invention were published on September 18 within the scientific journal ZooKeys.
Scientists in Thailand discovered a surprising spider during an expedition to Phang-Nga Province in southern Thailand. They conducted research to know the range and distribution of tarantulas within the region.
Interestingly, blue is considered one of the very rare colours present in nature, which is why the colour found on Chilobrachys natanicharum caught the eye of scientists.
This spider was named after an auction for the naming rights to the brand new species. This was done as a part of an effort to publicize the invention. The name “Chilobrachys natanicharum” comes from two company executives who won the naming campaign.
The blue-violet hues of this tarantula are strikingly much like the sunshine emitted by an electrical spark. The spider, which has an almost three-inch body, is distinguished by a striking combination of colours on its legs, back and jaws.
The spider was originally known to pet lovers because the “electric blue tarantula,” but recent research published within the journal Zookeys has finally confirmed its status as a very unique species.
According to Sarah J. Kariko, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University, of the 900 identified tarantula species, only about 4 percent are blue. This shows that although science has learned quite a bit about tarantulas, the reason for the blue coloring of tarantulas still stays a mystery.
It will not be common knowledge, but the method by which the colour blue is created in animals is different from the method by which other colours resembling red or yellow are created. The electric blue coloration of tarantulas just isn’t as a result of blue pigments, but to unique biological nanophotonic structures of their hairs that manipulate light to realize this striking blue appearance. When light hits them, the nanostructures in tarantula cells reflect blue.
Ling Li, a professor at Virginia Tech who has worked on spider color research, describes that the phenomenon of structural color often results in numerous colours, much like the effect seen with peacock feathers. In this case, the blue of the tarantula changes barely depending on the viewing angle, unlike the colour produced by the pigment, which stays unchanged because the viewing angle changes.
What makes it stand out?
Before this discovery, electric blue tarantulas were only known from the industrial pet market, and this species of tarantula is taken into account extremely rare on the planet. However, there isn’t a detailed details about its characteristics and natural habitat.
Generally speaking, tarantulas are frequently found on land or in water. However, within the case of Chilobrachys natanicharum, researchers note that this species has a singular ability to adapt to each environments.
Electric blue tarantulas show a really particular level of adaptation. They can live in tree holes in addition to on the bottom in evergreen forests. However, when in mangrove habitats, their natural habitat is restricted to living in tree burrows as a result of significant tidal influence.
Scientists on an expedition to the mangroves of Phang-Nga Province searched the humid and muddy environment at night to discover the tarantula’s presence, observing telltale signs resembling the shroud-like webs that protect its habitat.
According to Dr. Narin Chomphuphuang, a senior scientist at Khon Kaen University in Thailand, the lack of mangrove forests, mainly as a result of logging, has turned the blue tarantula into considered one of the rarest tarantulas on the planet.
As the blue electric tarantula’s natural habitat continues to be threatened by deforestation, researchers emphasize the urgent need for conservation projects. These efforts are essential to stop further declines in tarantula populations and protect future generations.
Source: CNN | National Geographer
