Officials thrilled as rare 'missing link' spider makes comeback in hidden cave: 'Evolved separately from the rest of the world for millions of years'

Officials thrilled as rare 'missing link' spider makes comeback in hidden cave: 'Evolved separately from the rest of the world for millions of years'

A rare ancient spider in New Zealand is thriving after simply being left alone for a little while.  As The Kansas City Star reported, sightings of the Nelson cave spider jumped fourfold in three years after its habitat was closed to visitors. The Nelson cave spider is a spindly and antisocial creature that inhabits the Crazy Paving Cave in the Ōparara Valley, located at the northwest tip of the South Island.  The Department of Conservation notes…