Farmer Is Determined to Help This Incredibly Rare Creature Find a New Home

By Margo Gothelf 2 min read

This Chinese farmer could not believe his eyes when he stumbled upon this unusual creature.

Li Wenhua was tending to his farm when he found a one-of-a-kind insect. The animal had a very unusual shape and Wenhua could not figure out what it was. After consulting with his neighbors, he was still puzzled by the creature and its species. He then took to the internet to do some research to see if he could find out some information about the mysterious insect.

After an intense investigation, Wenhua figured out that the insect was an hourglass spider. Wenhua even took his findings to be confirmed by Zhao Li, the head of the Insect Museum of West China.

The hourglass spider, or li shi pan fu zhu in Chinese, is one of the first insects documented in China. The origin of the spider dates back to 2 B.C.E.

The animal has only been seen about six other times since being documented. Many people in China thought the animal was a myth because of its rare appearance.

“The spider has very high value in scientific research. It is an extremely rare species in Sichuan,” a spider expert told Honest to Paws. “I had spend [sic] great effort trying to find it, but I didn’t see one. This creature was just that elusive!”

The hourglass spider has similar characteristics to a typical spider. It burrows and builds nests underground and finds food by hiding in its natural surroundings.

For the time being, Wenhua is tending to the spider. However, due to the spider’s high value, he hopes to sell the distinct arachnid to a proper owner when the time is right.