World's Oldest Spider Dies In Australia At Age 43

The world’s oldest known spider has died after a record-breaking lifespan of 43 years, according to researchers in Australia.



The spider, known as Number 16 to Australian scientists, was a female trapdoor tarantula living in Western Australia’s Central Wheatbelt region. The spider didn’t die of old age, however, but was killed by a wasp sting, researchers said today.

The long-lived arachnid far outlasted the previous record holder, a 28-year-old tarantula in Mexico.