Thirteen new species of spider were discovered on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula, adding to the 40,000 spider species already documented, according to the Guardian.
The spiders were found during a 10-day journey to a largely unsurveyed area in Australia's northernmost part. The journey was part of a project called Bush Blitz made up of scientists, teachers and rangers, according to The Independent.
This group sets out on five expeditions a year and has found 700 new species of wildlife in its previous expeditions, according to The Independent.
To find these spiders, the team had to dig into the ground. They used an abundance of tools to get through the surface and to the spiders below, according to the Guardian. Underneath, they found an array of spiders of all shapes and sizes.
Some of the new species include the brush-footed trapdoor spider, a new mouse spider and many different species of tarantula, according to the Guardian.
One of the team members, an elementary school teacher named Leslie Car, shared her experience in an interview, saying, "It was a lot of digging, I was amazed," according to Sky News Australia.
When asked about the tarantulas, she said, "There were ones as big as your head, about 20 of them."
For those on the journey, this was an exciting adventure that they won't soon forget.
