14 DAY TRIAL // Wildlife researchers studying Sri Lanka's biodiversity have recently come across a new (and rather scary) species of arachnid: a giant tarantula whose body size would allow it to entirely cover a man's face, should a daredevil ever decide to grab it and rub noses with it.
Sources say that the scientific community first became aware of the existence of this giant tarantula back in 2009, when researcher Ranil Nanayakkara and his colleagues got the opportunity to analyze a dead specimen.
As the years went on, more such tarantulas were found, and specialists have finally been able to piece together a description of this species.
Long story short, the tarantula measures about 8 inches (about 20.3 centimeters) from the tip of one of its legs to another. As observable in the picture above, it displays geometric patterns on its legs.
The researchers who documented this species, now referred to as Poecilotheria rajaei, believe that such tarantulas can only be found in northern Sri Lanka.
Footage of the tarantula is made available to you in the video below.
