Newly-discovered species of spider with scorpion-like tail found in amber

A newly-discovered species spider with a scorpion-like tail has been discovered, preserved in amber.

Dating back 100 million years, it lived amid the undergrowth in the rainforests of what is now Myanmar — back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

The spider had fangs, and one specimen measured 2.5 millimeters in length, with its tail stretching nearly three millimeters on its own.

According to research in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the tail — or telson — served as a sort of antenna, likely locating predators or prey.

That sets it apart from today’s spiders — as no known living spider has a long flagellum — though both have spinning organs.

The spider has been dubbed “Chimerarachne” — after the mythical Chimera — because it’s something of a hybrid.