Yes, it's getting to that time of the year again - the summer is winding down, we're about to be washed out of a bank holiday weekend (probably) and all that is left is for our houses to be invaded by giant arachnid beasts and then we'll be into autumn.
As most of us well know, every late summer/early autumn everyone's household suddenly becomes a veritable playground for huge hairy legged spiders who wander into your personal space to find a mate, take shelter from the changing weather, or - more than likely - to shit you up whilst you're trying to watch the telly.
Anyway, this year we've not got another horrific threat on our hands. A new spider has been discovered that can jump up to six feet into the air.
Oh, brilliant. Because it wasn't horrific enough finding a gigantic many-eyed beast under the duvet as I crawl into bed of an evening. Now the bastard is going to jump into bed with me.
I'm being dramatic, of course. These spiders are actually pretty small, and you have nothing to fear from them. As it happens, they're pretty interesting.
They were spotted in the UK for the first time earlier this year at a place called Holcroft Nature Reserve. It is a nature reserve that is part of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust and is near Warrington.
They spotted the tiny little creature - that is known scientifically as a Sibianor Iarae - hopping around. More specifically, an arachnologist called Ricard Burkmar spotted it back in June.
Arachnologist has to be my least favourite job title in the whole of Christendom. I'm only comfortable working around spiders if I'm tooled up to the teeth with the vacuum cleaner and/or a very long broom. This guy does it for a living, the madman.
However, as I've mentioned, they're actually nothing to worry about. They're so small that they'd fit on the head of a matchstick. You know what that means? You probably had them on you already and had no idea whatsoever. You might have even eaten them in your sleep - who knows?
Just kidding. Although the likelihood is that they have been here for years already. They were only recently 'discovered' because they were officially identified. They have potentially been lurking around (or jumping around) in the UK for many thousands of years.
On top of that, their natural habitat is now being destroyed. They live in bogs and jump around quite happily there.
Face it, you're starting to feel a bit sorry for the little buggers now, aren't you?
Nope, me neither.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Spider, News, Wildlife, UK, Animals