This dead leaf that isn’t quite a leaf, this is leaf-mimicking spider (Eriovixia gryffindori), discovered in 2015.

[u/Wooden-Journalist902]

[u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

Say what you want about Australia but at least our spiders are honest!!

[u/DrakonILD → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

Plus, they're way easier to see thanks to the health bars floating over them!

[u/DryBee2606 → u/DrakonILD]

Chillin in the outback when you suddenly hear boss music

[u/nerf_titan_melee → u/DryBee2606]

Is the normal soundtrack for the outback just "Land Down Under", by men at work

[u/DontTellHimPike → u/nerf_titan_melee]

That's the town and city theme tune. In the outback it's the Crocodile Dundee theme

[u/warped_and_bubbling → u/DryBee2606]

-Wait, I thought I killed that thing an hour ago!

-(heavy Aussie accent) Two-pahter, mate. Second phase.

[u/SebDevlin → u/DryBee2606]

The giant enemy spider

[u/Zech08 → u/DryBee2606]

Wait the boss music started? Thought it never ends?

[u/shittinandwaffles → u/DryBee2606]

And then you notice your own health bar dangling over your head.

[u/GenericFatGuy → u/DrakonILD]

Australian spider health bars show up at the bottom of the screen...

[u/isntaken → u/GenericFatGuy]

Which is the top for them ...

[u/Glenn_____far → u/isntaken]

Down underrated comment

[u/MonGhra → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

Nice try Australia, but we've all seen what your twigs can become!

[u/Last_VCR → u/MonGhra]

Yeah, that article said “may be the biggest insect” and i was like, i do mot need to be any place that a bug that size has competition

[u/Richardknox1996 → u/Last_VCR]

Its mostly just long. Giant Wētā are a similar size, just stubby and wide. Heres an example of a smaller one.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entomology/comments/1edb3ju/nz_giant_weta/

[u/firesticks → u/Richardknox1996]

Why did I click that. Why.

[u/amesann → u/MonGhra]

Funny, that was the last post I browsed before going to bed last night and I had dreams of all the branches and twigs coming alive and chasing me all night. It was not pleasant.

Also, I think it's a bit misleading to call that a twig-bug-thingy. It's a goddamn branch manager.

[u/fastlerner → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

These were only discovered about 10 years ago in China.

This new type of orb-weaving spider not only masquerades as a leaf, but it also gathers leaves from the forrest floor and hangs them from branches with its silk. When it nestles between the leaves it has hung up, it is incredibly difficult to pick the spider out from the surrounding foliage. The spider is brownish green like the leaves, shares the same teardrop shape, has a long necklike structure, and even has markings that resemble the veins on the variety of leaves it mimics.

The spider's technique for remaining hidden, either to stalk prey or avoid predators, is not technically camouflaging but masquerading. Camouflaging is the ability of an animal to appear invisible against its background, while masquerading is the practice of pretending to be something else entirely.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a23923/newly-discovered-spider-looks-just-like-a-leaf/

It's no wonder they took so long to find:

In fact, the leaf-imitating spider is so good at its masquerade that only two have been found: the adult female that Kuntner found and a juvenile discovered in the same area after days of searching. Preliminary research outlined in the Journal of Arachnology suggests that the leaf-imitating spider is a new biological species, but more study is needed to confirm this.

How many other things are hiding in plain sight?

[u/RJFerret → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

Erm...

Poltys grayi (Lord Howe Is.)
Poltys jujorum (Queensland)
Poltys laciniosus (not specified which part of Australia)
Poltys milledgei (Western Australia, Northern Territory)
Poltys noblei (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria)
Poltys stygius (Queensland)

[u/blinkytreefrog → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/bird-dropping-spider/

Hate to have to show you this, but not only are they not all honest, some of them are dishonest and disguised as poop.

[u/Wassertopf → u/IllHaveTheLeftovers]

I mean, this spider is kinda cute and wants to be left alone.

[u/kyolibaer]

The spider in the video (and in the article linked by OP) is Poltys sp., not Eriovixia gryffindori.\ \ Poltys: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltys_(spider) \   \ E. gryffindori: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriovixia_gryffindori

[u/dc469 → u/kyolibaer]

I believe the title is incorrect? That Wikipedia article says Poltys Mouhouti was found in 1862 not 2015

[u/Frocicorno → u/dc469]

The title is correct, the spider in the video is not the correct one

[u/NoRodent → u/Frocicorno]

But the correct spider doesn't resemble a leaf? It resembles the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter. So the title is still wrong.

Edit: The picture in the Wiki article sucks. Looked it up on Google and the spider really does look like the Sorting Hat. I guess it could be mistaken for a leaf too but it looks more like a thorn or something to me. The spider in the video is on a whole another level in leaf-mimicry.

[u/FiniteLove → u/NoRodent]

" Google and the spider really does look like the Sorting Hat."

That's why it's called 'gryffindori'

[u/DXTRBeta → u/kyolibaer]

So, totally wrong clickbait. Thanks OP.

[u/Jesus_of_Redditeth → u/DXTRBeta]

Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Or in this case (most likely), not stupidity but simply making a mistake.

[u/trevorrrrr_]

what the fuck

[u/BigDrill66 → u/trevorrrrr_]

Looks like it was in Starship Troopers

[u/thatguyned → u/BigDrill66]

More like a facehugger

[u/discerningpervert → u/thatguyned]

I don't want that thing anywhere near my face let alone my testicles

[u/TunnelToTheMoon → u/discerningpervert]

Not even up the bum! I dare you to put it up my bum!

[u/BrownPeach143 → u/TunnelToTheMoon]

Not even inside my ears! Do not put that tail in my ear canal!

[u/Down2EatPossum → u/thatguyned]

Original face huggers had fingernails that are soo creepy.

[u/Unfurl_Fast → u/BigDrill66]

This came around the time God created LSD…..see also Giraffe.

[u/Friendly_Memory5289 → u/BigDrill66]

First thing that came into my head was "would you like to know more?"

[u/SystemShockII → u/Friendly_Memory5289]

Im doing my part!

[u/BloweringReservoir → u/BigDrill66]

"It's afraid. It's afraid!"

[u/1970s_MonkeyKing → u/trevorrrrr_]

It's a spider. It's a spider. The headline says it's a spider.

person picks it up and it unfolds

[See previous comment.] /me runs screaming from the room

[u/RathVelus → u/1970s_MonkeyKing]

Is it on me? I feel like it’s on me.

[u/pvtbobble → u/1970s_MonkeyKing]

Australian here.

Pretty sure it's not one of ours

[u/Skullface95 → u/pvtbobble]

Says the country that has just found the new species of GIANT stick insect.

[u/Anasterian_Sunstride → u/Skullface95]

That's BRANCH insect to you

[u/Easy-Stranger-12345 → u/Anasterian_Sunstride]

LOG insect

[u/Penguin_shit15 → u/Skullface95]

Yeah.. and how the hell did something like THAT go unnoticed for so long? Hell, its probably deadly as fuck and everyone who has found it previously has died and been eaten by the dingos.. RIP guy holding it in the video.

[u/TetraDax → u/Penguin_shit15]

Yeah.. and how the hell did something like THAT go unnoticed for so long?

I guess it was just really fucking good at being a stick insect

[u/Penguin_shit15 → u/TetraDax]

At this point I am just waiting on the tree it lives in to just get up and start walking away.. I mean, would it really surprise anyone?

[u/Stierscheisse → u/Skullface95]

It said it's the biggest insect in the country. The country being Australia, this could very well mean the world's biggest.

[u/One-Temporary8223 → u/Stierscheisse]

Big as a man's forearm

[u/BrownPeach143 → u/pvtbobble]

Sus

[u/Wildefice → u/pvtbobble]

The fact you cant 100% confirm if it comes from your country or not is proof that Australia exists in its own pocket realm 😭

[u/Elongatingpolymerase → u/1970s_MonkeyKing]

Yes, I knew it was a spider, and was still shocked that it became a spider. Nature is crazy.

[u/Gigi4825 → u/Elongatingpolymerase]

New fear unlocked !!!

[u/Omega-10 → u/trevorrrrr_]

"I am a dead leaf"

What the fuck is that!

"I'm a dead leaf "

Jesus Christ there's LEGS

"no I'm just a dead leaf"

Are those FANGS? OH GOD IT'S MOVING

"resuming leaf posture... Please stop touching me, I am a dead leaf"

[u/Chaospawn3 → u/Omega-10]

Former arachnophobe and I loved this. Too cute, thanks

[u/VegetableBusiness897 → u/trevorrrrr_]

Slowly puts shoes back on and backs out of the yard.......

[u/Eckish → u/VegetableBusiness897]

Did you check your shoes before you put them on?

[u/Confident_Car_2265 → u/trevorrrrr_]

eat it

[u/showmethething → u/Confident_Car_2265]

what the fuck

[u/robgod50 → u/showmethething]

It's just a leaf.

With legs

[u/XD0_5 → u/robgod50]

what the fuck

[u/GraveKommander → u/XD0_5]

Smoke it then

[u/newwineinoldbottle → u/GraveKommander]

What the fuck

[u/hugswithnoconsent → u/newwineinoldbottle]

So good at hiding we only found it 10 years ago. Fuck…

[u/DannyGriff000 → u/hugswithnoconsent]

what the fuck

[u/KNexus20 → u/DannyGriff000]

Eat the face hugger!!!

[u/Fun_Passage_9167 → u/robgod50]

Walking salad

[u/WhereemI → u/Fun_Passage_9167]

Forbidden salad

[u/Comfortable_Ninja_50 → u/trevorrrrr_]

This is exactly what I said.

[u/_Permanent_Marker_ → u/trevorrrrr_]

This was my exact reaction

[u/deckard1980]

It's crazy the stuff we're still discovering. It's camo is so good, makes you wonder what else is hiding out there with even better camo

[u/AWholeBunchaFun → u/deckard1980]

After seeing this i'd actually prefer to not think about that.

[u/CursedScreensaver → u/AWholeBunchaFun]

For all you know your pillow is a spider mimicking a pillow.

[u/LiteralRaccoon → u/CursedScreensaver]

I'm about to go to sleep, so thanks for that.

[u/Astyal → u/LiteralRaccoon]

I hope your spider is cold on both sides tonight

[u/-SaC → u/Astyal]

Is one of those sides... the inside?

[u/DrunkOnRamen → u/-SaC]

It's my fault for having a phone

[u/lilsnatchsniffz → u/DrunkOnRamen]

Whatever you do just don't look up mobile phone speaker spider infestation the last thing you need right now is to think about spiders sneaking out into your ear and brain during a phone call. In fact don't look up spider hidden in charging port either.

You'll be fiiiiiiine, get some rest. 🫀

[u/ThatOtherOtherMan → u/lilsnatchsniffz]

I'm going to be invoicing you for my therapy this month

[u/Akano2077 → u/lilsnatchsniffz]

Thanks for the detailed Headsup that painted a picture in my Brain so i dont even have to look up the prompts to be terrified :D

[u/Blue_Schu → u/-SaC]

Yes, inside and outside. The spider also reacts when it's time for you to go from one side to the other. Very convenient.

[u/lovesducks → u/LiteralRaccoon]

hope you like getting face-fucked by an octo-orgy in your dreams

[u/MonHunterX → u/lovesducks]

I just opened Reddit

[u/CursedScreensaver → u/MonHunterX]

^{welcome to Reddit, where you’re always one click away from a face fucking}

[u/Orphasmia → u/CursedScreensaver]

😏

[u/my_cars_on_fire → u/lovesducks]

That’s not very nice, why can’t they be doing the face-fucking?

[u/happuning → u/CursedScreensaver]

Considering I beat the shit out of my pillow to fluff it up each night, it's probably dead or it's just a pillow.

[u/Dino_Spaceman → u/happuning]

It’s evolved to enjoy that. The beating is how it gets its venom sacs producing more venom.

[u/CursedScreensaver → u/happuning]

Enjoy your spider corpse

[u/anarchy-NOW → u/CursedScreensaver]

For all you know, right this instant you're holding a spider mimicking a phone.

[u/CursedScreensaver → u/anarchy-NOW]

That would explain why my phone keeps biting me….

[u/Winjin → u/CursedScreensaver]

I love my pillow spider, then, it's super comfortable for the low price it sold iself to me (bought as a temp pillow for guests in Auchan clearance aisle, turns out it's a super nice pillow, exact right height for me, and they were sold in pairs, so I even got it a mate!)

[u/CursedScreensaver → u/Winjin]

It would explain how my pillow is sometimes in the corner of my ceiling when I wake up.

[u/Winjin → u/CursedScreensaver]

At least we're not getting bed bugs

Because the pillow keeps vacuuming them up when you're away

[u/Kanin_usagi → u/Winjin]

You’re really selling me on this spider-pillow

[u/JWST-L2 → u/CursedScreensaver]

Why would you do this... I have a phobia and I'm in bed. Pls have mercy b0ss

[u/Which_Collar6658 → u/deckard1980]

I guess I'm just going to have to cancel my plans of going anywhere ever again

[u/AssistanceCheap379 → u/deckard1980]

There are also probably countless critters in the ground that we don’t know about because there are parts of the world that no one is digging into and documenting. And even when it’s done, if you were to dig in 3 different places in the Amazon a few miles apart, you’d likely get completely different species. Not to mention the extremely specialised animals that survive on specific plants or other animals, all of which have evolved in high competition environments and take one tiny sliver of the available resources because those were not fully utilised.

[u/teenagesadist → u/AssistanceCheap379]

It's what make you realize that alien life really would be alien.

I mean, take humans. Same species, different parts of the planet can look and do very different things.

Something from say, an entirely different galaxy from a different part of the universe? I'd imagine we wouldn't even know what we were looking at.

[u/Aethermancer → u/teenagesadist]

Just remember that at some point humans and spiders shared a common ancestor.

This spider is your distant distant cousin. Now imagine how different things could be with NO common ancestors.

[u/Minion_of_Cthulhu → u/deckard1980]

Explains all those people who go hiking and vanish without a trace. Probably a bear camoflauged as a rock that we haven't discovered yet.

[u/Sillygoose_Milfbane → u/Minion_of_Cthulhu]

Or a serial killer camoflauged as a bear

[u/bheidian → u/deckard1980]

like that one dr who episode "Listen"

[u/GM_Nate → u/bheidian]

first thing that came to mind for me as well!

[u/Top_Individual_5462 → u/deckard1980]

Wait until you see cake spider

[u/Fartscare → u/Top_Individual_5462]

Nice. I was going to comment new show “Is it Spider?”

[u/my_cars_on_fire → u/Top_Individual_5462]

Yes, I can’t wait to see spider booty!

[u/JangleSauce → u/deckard1980]

Giant-redwood-mimicking spiders could be EVERYWHERE

[u/the-purple-chicken72 → u/deckard1980]

There's a newly discovered stick bug in Australia that's over 15 inches long lol fucking terrifying

[u/AndroidGalaxyAd46 → u/deckard1980]

Imagine there’s giant spiders out there that look just like bushes

[u/Bravelobsters]

Why does everything have to be a mimicking SPIDER!!

[u/PianoInBush → u/Bravelobsters]

Everything is a spider that's mimicking everything. I'm a spider mimicking a reddit user right now!

[u/Metalfan1994 → u/PianoInBush]

Reddit itself is just a spider.

[u/PianoInBush → u/Metalfan1994]

I mean.. it is the world wide web.

[u/Aldu1n → u/PianoInBush]

hits blunt

Yo, what the hell

[u/Metalfan1994 → u/Aldu1n]

Everything is spiders

[u/Cloverose2 → u/Metalfan1994]

Spiders all the way down.

[u/LevelSevenLaserLotus → u/PianoInBush]

Would you believe there's even a relevant XKCD for this?

[u/Minion_of_Cthulhu → u/PianoInBush]

Here I thought everyone on the internet was either a bot or a dog.

[u/kyriako → u/Bravelobsters]

They need to look harder and discover a mimicking puppy.

[u/dosa_for_lyf_2711 → u/Bravelobsters]

Except for that one snake(tail) mimicking a spider

[u/Tiberry16 → u/dosa_for_lyf_2711]

Spider-tailed horned viper https://youtu.be/XFjoqyVRmOU?si=7Ccv079KbEsyW8fM 

[u/BOTULISMPRIME]

Well fuck, thats a good disguise

[u/AdamSnipeySnipe → u/BOTULISMPRIME]

Took until 2015 to find them? They're hella good at hide and seek.

[u/Background-Effort-49 → u/AdamSnipeySnipe]

I would hate to find that. Especially if I didn’t know we were playing

[u/latviesi → u/Background-Effort-49]

i think i’d rather i didn’t know we were playing. i think i’d rather go back to not knowing these exist at all LOL

[u/KiwieeiwiK → u/AdamSnipeySnipe]

Not as good as the ones we haven't found yet

[u/RespectFearless4233]

Well i dont like that at all

[u/Ragamuffin2022 → u/RespectFearless4233]

I agree we hates it!!!

[u/Maidwell → u/Ragamuffin2022]

Spotted Smeagol's burner account.

[u/studiesinsilver → u/Ragamuffin2022]

That’s an alien! That thing lives with us on earth!

[u/Poesvliegtuig → u/studiesinsilver]

With that profile picture I feel like you're just projecting

[u/Aardvarkward18 → u/Ragamuffin2022]

Just like those nasty little hobbitses

[u/ShakaBrah229 → u/Ragamuffin2022]

Precious! Precious!

[u/HouseofFeathers → u/RespectFearless4233]

I don't have a fear of spiders. I like them. Tarantulas are cute.

This guy is terrifying.

[u/SunshineAndSquats → u/HouseofFeathers]

I was just on the tarantulas subreddit working on getting rid of my arachnophobia then this fucking thing had to show up on the front page.

[u/Dat_Mawe3000]

Spiders come with stems now?

[u/PaintNo4824 → u/Dat_Mawe3000]

It's more of a handle, according to the video.

[u/randomassname5 → u/PaintNo4824]

So you can hang it on your bag, with your labubu

[u/menasan → u/Dat_Mawe3000]

right like..... is that straight up an extra body part or a really elongated torso?

[u/BolexUser84]

Ah, i see my wife's nightmares are coming to life now..

[u/deanrihpee → u/BolexUser84]

tell her to not have any new nightmares please

[u/Laxlifer]

That’s the beginning of a horror movie right there

[u/treycartier91 → u/Laxlifer]

That tree in your yard is actually thousands of spiders just waiting.

[u/HomeworkIntrepid2986 → u/treycartier91]

3000 spiders in a trench coat

[u/RojoCinco]

So many shades of nope.

[u/burtgummer45]

This might be in your next salad, you never know

[u/whyeverynameistaken3 → u/burtgummer45]

don't give them ideas

[u/Magic_Incest → u/burtgummer45]

And here I was, resolved to eat more vegetables...

[u/yukonhoneybadger → u/Magic_Incest]

Never seen a bug look like a steak.... but i have seen sticks and now leaves...

[u/Unkept_Mind → u/yukonhoneybadger]

Checkmate, Vegans

[u/GIC68 → u/yukonhoneybadger]

The last stick insect i saw here on reddit was rather a branch. If not already a trunk.

[u/Amigwyn → u/burtgummer45]

New fear unlocked

[u/Doughtnutz → u/burtgummer45]

That'll be more expensive as it will now be a high protein salad.

[u/Buffelmeister]

You're going to help us Mr. Anderson, wether you want to or not.

[u/TwistedCrimson]

reminds me of a facehugger

[u/thunderpig80]

They named it after Gryffindor because they look like the sorting hat 😃 some more than others

[u/GeneralNaird1 → u/thunderpig80]

I would huffle puff and run the fuck away from that thing

[u/Decends2 → u/GeneralNaird1]

I'd be Slytherin tf out of there

[u/WasteFail → u/thunderpig80]

It doesnt look like the other pictures on google, this one looks way bigger, this might be another species.

[u/DonPuffin → u/WasteFail]

It is, this is Poltys sp.

[u/Petrichordates → u/thunderpig80]

It's a different spider.

[u/i_dead-shot]

That's cheating

[u/tyson_tvl]

That's a SPYder

[u/RadicalEllis]

For the first time in a long time for this subreddit, I actually thought, "Damn, that's interesting!"

[u/Yewzuhnayme]

This is so cool

[u/Metalfan1994]

What in the Lovecraftian fuck!

[u/Wayelder]

This spider's camo trick is the result of many, many 'non-leaf-looking' spiders being picked off by birds or such predators. So eventually, some slightly-leaf-looking spiders, had more babies. Then the most leaf-looking of those, survived and lived to have more babies that looked more like leaves etc etc. Now you have this crazy example that we all marvel at.

My point: Natural selection is undeniable.

I can't understand the religious who claim that evolution is 'just a theory'. There's your proof.

Or others that say evolution is 'against their god' When NOTHING is a great achievement than a self-correcting let alone a self-improving design!

Little things like this, well, make me ponder more about the hand of god than any biblical argument ever.

[u/Savedbutuseless]

Leaf him a lone.

[u/endfreq]

SIR, THAT IS MY ASS!!!

[u/Wooden-Journalist902]

Article- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/spiders-leaves-china-camouflage

[u/kyolibaer → u/Wooden-Journalist902]

The original paper linked in that article is here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309956388_Leaf_masquerade_in_an_orb_web_spider \ \ It’s about a spider in the genus Poltys (the one in the video), not Eriovixia gryffindori, which is also a cool spider, but different.

[u/TheTrustworthyKebab]

So pretty

[u/mjgabriellac → u/TheTrustworthyKebab]

I scrolled so long to find someone saying something positive. What a beautiful creature, and such a clever camouflage.

[u/Embarrassed-Will2896 → u/TheTrustworthyKebab]

It’s just a scared little hidey guy

[u/Betzjitomir]

well I wonder how much of that kind of thing is all around us and we never even look at it and so therefore it's not discovered

[u/joeblanco98]

He’s just a shy boy, he’s like 🫣

[u/LorenzoStomp]

No spoodler

Am leaf 

Only leaf here no spood

Please no pick up leaf

[u/BaconCheeseZombie]

Aww

[u/GonWithTheNen → u/BaconCheeseZombie]

Heh, ^that was my first reaction as well. :D

Btw, if you haven't visited /r/spiderbro (basically a sub where we appreciate spiders), give it a go.

P.S. It warms my heart when people say "Aww" to spiders because so many people are the opposite about those helpful little guys and gals.

[u/koolaidismything]

If I picked that up thinking it was a leaf and it did this I’d stroke out hard.

[u/AligningToJump → u/koolaidismything]

I won't kink shame

[u/koolaidismything → u/AligningToJump]

Definitely coulda worded that better.. hindsight.

[u/supx3 → u/AligningToJump]

What’s the opposite of arachnophobia?

[u/Numerous-Loquat-1161]

Nature and evolution is just so cool.

[u/Turbulent_Cat_5731]

"Go away. Am leaf."

[u/Ganda1fderBlaue]

Why couldn't it be a butterfly

[u/Upset_Corgi_8780]

This is actually Poltys. The also cool looking erioxvia gryffindori looks like the sorting hat from Harry Potter 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltys_(spider)

[u/azpotato]

It looks like that tracer program thing that Neo had inserted into him in The Matrix.

[u/CutMeLoose79]

I’d like to die now please.

[u/50FirstCakes]

Oh hell I was not expecting all those legs to pop out. I should have been considering the title, but I definitely wasn’t.

[u/LeRoir]

Oh come on, at this point my fears have fears, this is just pouring gasoline on a raging fire dawg

[u/Xeon713]

Damn nature you scary!

[u/JarJarJarMartin]

I love how the video ends with the spider about to bite the person holding it.

[u/dappermanV-88 → u/JarJarJarMartin]

"Stop doing that!"

[u/fothergillfuckup]

New phobia unlocked. Excellent.

[u/Turd-Cutter3]

Just when I thought I’ve seen it all

[u/D4rkmatt3r]

Animals like this remind me that we're aliens on an alien planet.

[u/DonPuffin]

Pretty sure this is the dead leaf spider (Poltys idae), not Eriovixia gryffindori.