The discoveries are apparently the first in almost a century. The nightmare fuel doesn\u2019t end there, though, as Walls notes the discoveries are \u201chorrifyingly fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cromac Toler-Scott, lead author of the study on these sea spiders, conducted the work as part of his master\u2019s degree in zoology at UBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was interested in how sea spiders are impacted by climate change and human disturbance, because marine invertebrates in the Salish Sea are particularly at risk, and I couldn\u2019t find anything,\u201d Toler-Scott said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s largely because people don\u2019t know much about what species exist here and what their lifestyle is,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Toler-Scott said that to understand how marine invertebrates are being impacted by climate change, and to find out how better to protect these \u201ckey elements of the ecosystem,\u201d researchers first have to be able to identify them.<\/p>\n
Now the fun part: the pictures.<\/p>\n
First, meet Callipallene pilosuspedes, one of the new spiders discovered near Vancouver.<\/p>\n
![\"vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/callipallene-pilosuspedes-credit_-cormac-toler-scott.jpeg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
Cormac Toler-Scott\/UBC<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s Tanystylum kiixin:<\/p>\n
![\"vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/a-photo-of-a-new-species-of-sea-spider-tanystylum-kiixin-credit_-cormac-toler-scott.jpeg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
Those bumps along its limbs are eggs forming \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab (Cormac Toler-Scott\/UBC)<\/p>\n
UBC notes that sea spiders breathe through their skin and that males rear the young.<\/p>\n
\u201cFemales have ovaries spread throughout their limbs that produce eggs which then \u2018pop out\u2019 of a dedicated pore. During mating, the male will use limbs placed at the base of his head called \u2018ovigers\u2019 to scoop up the eggs, dab them in a glue secreted from his legs, and stick them to his own body in clusters of egg sacs for rearing,\u201d Walls notes in graphic detail.<\/p>\n
Researchers collected the new species between September 2023 and August 2024, involving dives up to 18 metres deep, in habitats and areas that included Quadra Island, Vancouver, Bamfield, and Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn tribute to the long, curved spines covering its lower legs, one of the new species is named Callipallene pilosuspedes, a play on the Latin for \u2018hairy feet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever wanted a close-up on a spider\u2019s mouth, here you go:<\/p>\n
![\"vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-three-lipped-tendril-filled-mouth-of-the-callipallene-pilosuspedes-at-30-micrometres-credit_-cor.jpeg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe three-lipped, tendril-filled mouth of the Callipallene pilosuspedes at 30 micrometres.\u201d (Cormac Toler-Scott\/UBC)<\/p>\n
Apparently, the highly dexterous ovigers also serve as a type of comb for the spider to groom or comb itself for cleaning purposes.<\/p>\n
The other species, Tantystylum kiixin, was named after the Indigenous village site near where specimens were first collected. It\u2019s pronounced kee-hin, and the word comes from the sound of waves crashing at the base of the village site.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts egg-carrying limbs are much smaller and less dexterous, leaving the animal unable to groom itself effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research is the \u201cfirst comprehensive study of sea spiders in the Salish Sea using both detailed imaging and DNA analysis,\u201d UBC notes.<\/p>\n
Toler-Scott says that more are waiting ot be found.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only had one field season, but there\u2019s definitely more diversity out there that we haven\u2019t documented,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While it might make some squeamish, in the immortal words of Jesse Pinkman: \u201cYeah, science!\u201d<\/p>\n