Rare wolf spider presumed extinct turns up on British military base

A 2-inch-long (5 centimeters) spider thought to be extinct in Great Britain is actually alive and thriving on a British military base.

A program manager at the Surrey Wildlife Trust rediscovered the great fox-spider (Alopecosa fabrilis) on an undeveloped portion of a military installation in Surrey, England, after a two-year search. The last time the spider was seen before this in Britain was in 1993, or 27 years ago.

"It's a gorgeous spider, if you're into that kind of thing," the program manager Mike Waite told The Guardian.