“ Once photos of the spiders emerged, arachnologists quickly identified them as Meta menardi, an orbweaver found in dark caves and tunnels throughout Britain and much of Europe. Not rare or endangered or dangerous, and only half as big as claimed. But not one of the news web sites that spread the original story ever published a correction or retraction. About 20 of them are still online as this is written, 4 years later. Click here to see the BBC version. How to start an urban legend: just get your news quotes on spiders from someone who knows nothing about them!
