This is the "Fossil Friday" post #141. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
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Fossil spiders are always a favorite here for Fossil Friday. Marty Houdek sent us a gorgeous Orthotarbus robustus from Pit 11. He found this guy, his first and only spider, on the tipple in 1986. He's been collecting for a long time, so it's hard to believe that it's his only one! I guess spiders really are rare!
O. robustus belongs to an extinct group of spider-like animals called Architarbids. They lived during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Periods. O. robustus was described by Alexander Petrunkevitch in 1945.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful specimen, Marty!
