Hawaii's famous “happy-face” spider has a surprising relative

According to ScienceDaily, researchers have recently discovered a Happy-Face spider high in the Himalayas that bears a striking resemblance to Hawaii's beloved iconic species — but DNA evidence shows the two evolved completely independently. The new spider displays the same mysterious smile-like markings and comes in multiple color variations. What's puzzling scientists is an unexpected connection: these spiders appear linked to ginger plants. The discovery raises intriguing questions about how these two distant species came to look so similar despite evolving on opposite sides of the world.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton