“And, in fact, it’s been surprisingly quiet.”That could be because people had not recognised it, he said. “The other possibility is that, in fact, this new invasive species is not as widespread as ... early indications suggested. “It could be that they’re hotspots because that’s just where we’ve paid attention, or they’re real hotspots because there are relatively high densities of these spiders just in those places,” Trewick said. “Sort of a classic cartoon spider, not your hairy tarantula-y kind of spider at all,” he said. The spiders were most active at night, and they were speedy and could disappear quickly once disturbed, said Trewick.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 30, 2025 07:26 UTC