Does this spider’s shape look familiar? The unusual animal was recently given a name: Eriovixia gryffindori (ehr-ee-oh-VIKS-ee-uh grif-in-DOR-ee). Why? It looks just like the droopy Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter movies! In that series, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, the magical hat sorts Hogwarts students into different houses.
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Sorting Hat Spider
Sumukha J. N.
This spider’s look helps it blend in with dead leaves.
Pottermore
Spider scientist Javed Ahmed first spotted the tiny spider in a forest in India in 2015. It turned out to be an undiscovered species. Ahmed, a Harry Potter fan, named it after Godric Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat’s fictional owner.
The spider’s appearance helps it blend in with dead leaves in the forests where it lives. This camouflage keeps the spider safe from predators, says Ahmed.
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