Newly discovered Queensland ‘surfing’ spider can ride waves and eat toads

A new species of spider has been discovered in Queensland that can swim and catch fish.

The spider, named Dolomedes briangreenei or Brian for short, was unveiled by Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the World Science Festival in Brisbane on Wednesday.  

The arachnid has been named after the science festival co-founder and string theorist Brian Greene, who is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University.

The spider is about the size of the palm of a hand and uses vibrations on the surface of the water to navigate and find prey.

It eats fish, frogs, tadpoles and the introduced cane toads which is helping contribute to the management of the pest.

“With the announcement last month of humankind’s first detection of gravitational waves — ripples on the surface of space and time — I am particularly honoured to be so closely associated with a spider that has its own deep affinity for waves,” Professor Greene told Mashable.

The spider is not venomous and can sit under water for up to an hour, according to arachnology scientist Richard Raven.

“I’ve been bitten by this spider and it’s not particularly dangerous, it just stung for a little while,” he said.

Dr Raven discovered the spider when he was searching for new specimens to display at the Queensland Museum.

The World Science Festival, which runs until Sunday, brings together the world’s greatest scientific minds.

The festival started in 2008 and the Brisbane event is the first time it’s been held outside of its original site of New York City.