Nine New Tarantula Species Identified

Just in time for Halloween!

Nine new species of tree-dwelling tarantulas have been identified in central and eastern Brazil, researchers say, bringing the total in the area to 16 species.

Arboreal tarantulas -- known from a few tropical places in Asia, Africa, South and Central America and the Caribbean -- generally have a lighter build, thinner bodies and longer legs than their ground-living cousins, which better suits them for their forest tree habitats, they said.