I get the Wired Science RSS feed everyday and was incredibly grossed out and amazed by a posting on a 165-million year old spider fossil that had been found in China. The fossils were found at a site called Daohugou in Northern China that is filled with fossilized salamanders, small primitive mammals, insects and water crustaceans. During the Jurassic era, the fossil bed was part of a lake in a volcanic region. The images included in the post and the ones found in the related stories will really capture your student’s interest!
• Giant Spider Species Discovered in Middle Eastern Sand Dunes
• 1 Million Spiders Make Golden Silk for Rare Cloth
• The Spider Awards: Wired.com’s Arachnid Hall of Fame
• Even-More-Gigantic Giant Orb Spider Discovered