The government has said Britain should be prepared for a spontaneous outbreak of street parties after an insect, thought to be extinct, has been discovered alive and well. The Invisible Spider, sometimes known as the 'Forgotten' or 'Rare' spider, was spotted by a man walking his dog on a fen in the middle of nowhere. The spider has not been seen for 20 years despite weekly search parties organised by 'Friends of the Invisible Spider'.
"We spend most of our weekends searching for it and now we've been rewarded with a chance find by a member of the public. I was even more surprised by the fact that he knew what it was but fortunately he was carrying the Observers Book of Rare Spiders at the time. He never leaves home without it or his camera," said the enthusiastic arachnologist.
As word has spread there has been a media scramble and web forums, Facebook and Twitter have been a hive of activity. Flash mobs have appeared all over the country celebrating the fact.
"Forget the financial crisis, the recession, tuition fees, losing your jobs, your home, your self-worth and rejoice in this new find," said one happy student, Derek Bowers.
Tom Waite, accountant, has always had a soft spot for the spider. "I've often told the my kids about the Invisible Spider and how important it was in my life and never thought I'd get to share it with them. They've heard the stories and the impact it had on me and now they get to live it too. I never thought anything would top the Royal wedding but this has eclipsed it. It's been quite a week. First the wedding, then permission granted to wear fruit-flavoured condoms and now this," he said barely containing his delight.
The spider, which is camouflaged and only 5mm in size, spends most of it's time wrapped in a cocoon underneath leaves but nevertheless it can have a huge influence on everything around it. It's thought it may affect the climate and the tides.
Entomologist Sally Meadows gave some perspective to the find.
"It's like flying to the moon or making fire or winning the X-Factor. There are millions of spiders and insects and this is one more. We are now only just beginning to learn that extinct doesn't necessarily mean it's gone. It just means they haven't been seen for a while."
PS Spiders are not insects but are in fact - insects
