The eyes have it. If you’re a sucker for a charismatic gaze, an impressive name and great rarity, then the distinguished jumping spider should get your vote.
But this acrobatic, spectacular-looking tiny spider with two large black forward-facing eyes is not merely a pretty face. It is a powerful environmentalist and mighty representative of the value of often-derided, seemingly desolate post-industrial landscapes.
The spider was only discovered in Britain in 2003 and is today only found in two locations: West Thurrock marshes and Swanscombe peninsula. Both are “brownfield” sites in the Thames Gateway, the largest area designated for new development in Europe.
I wonder how they got to that number. It should be either 43 for established species or 54 if you count all recorded species. Well, at least apart from the “it does not spin webs” bit it doesn’t have any major mistakes, which is rare for any mainstream news publication about spiders. I’ll take it.