They managed to avoid the notice of nosy humans beings for thousands of years, mostly by clinging to the roofs of dark caves and keeping their six, tiny eyes peeled for trouble. 
 
 But the secret existence of these eight-legged West Coasters has come to an end. 
 
 On Friday, scientists announced the discovery of a heretofore unknown family of spider that some have playfully compared to Bigfoot, the privacy-loving man-beast of legend. 
 
 In the journal Zookeys, California Academy of Sciences arachnologist Charles E. Griswold and colleagues described their discovery of trogloraptor, or “cave robber,” a spider that is partial to caves and redwood debris in coastal forests from California to British Columbia. 
 
 Trogloraptor, which is roughly the size of a half-dollar coin when its legs are extended, has large raptorial claws, suggesting it is a fierce, specialized predator. 
 
 Roughly a dozen specimens were plucked from the roofs of caves by scientists and spelunkers who found them hanging from a few strands of spun silk. Most were obtained in southwest Oregon, while one adolescent spider was found in the debris of old-growth redwoods in northwest California. 
 
 The newly discovered arachnid is not about to give up all its long-held secrets, however. Scientists have yet to determine exactly how it mates, or what it eats. Captive trogloraptors have so far refused to eat a variety of prey provided in the lab. 
 
 The Klamath-Siskiyou region of Oregon and California is home to a number of ancient species of plants and animals, including the coastal red tailed frog and the mountain beaver. Study authors note that with many caves and hard-to-access areas, this may not be the last historic find. 
 
 “If such a large and bizarre spider could have gone undetected for so long, who knows what else may lurk undiscovered in this remarkable part of the world,” the study said. 
 
 By examining the spider under an electron microscope, etymologists found a number of unique features that suggested a very ancient lineage. The discovery may yet result in some revisions to their understanding of spider evolution. 
 
 Among those groups who helped to collect the specimens were the Western Cave Conservancy, the California Academy of Sciences and San Diego State University. 
 
 Follow me on Twitter @montemorin ||||| doi: 10.3897/zookeys.215.3547 
 
 Published: 17.08.2012 
 
 
 
 Viewed by: 38090 
 
 Abstract 
 
 
 
 The new spider genus and species Trogloraptor marchingtoni Griswold, Audisio & Ledford is described as the type of the new family Trogloraptoridae. The oblique membranous division of the basal segment of the anterior lateral spinnerets of Trogloraptor suggests that this haplogyne family is the sister group of the other Dysderoidea (Dysderidae, Oonopidae, Orsolobidae and Segestriidae). Trogloraptor is known only from caves and old growth forest understory in the Klamath-Siskiyou region of Oregon and California. Full text: HTML | XML | PDF
– The first new spider species discovered in North America in more than 110 years has been found in the caves of the Pacific Northwest, reports the Telegraph. The Trogloraptor, or "cave robber" spider, measures about three inches long when outstretched and is seen as a "fierce, specialized predator," according to the Los Angeles Times. "For a spider, this is a pretty big one," says arachnologist Charles Griswold, who compared the discovery to finding a spider Bigfoot. "It has remarkable claws and feet which are like scythes or hooks. We think these work to snap and trap their prey." Much is still a mystery about these newly discovered spiders, although scientists think the Trogloraptor evolved separately from more commonly known spiders thanks to their remote cave locations. "If such a large and bizarre spider could have gone undetected for so long, who knows what else may lurk undiscovered in this remarkable part of the world," says the study. You can read the original journal article at ZooKeys.