Fagilde’s Trapdoor Spider was lost to science for nearly a century (perhaps even longer) until an expedition team with protectspecies and indianapoliszoo searched Fagilde, Portugal and the neighboring village of Vila Garcia. Follow the link in bio for the full story. The spider is the 12th species to be rediscovered by rewild’s Search for Lost Species. Without any historical photos or detailed descriptions, the team focused on searching for unique horizontal trapdoor burrows (other trapdoor spider burrows are completely vertical.) They found one such burrow with a female spider inside guarding about 10 baby spiders—it was a Fagilde’s Trapdoor Spider. The spider owes part of its rediscovery to the bravery of the local community it’s named after—their relationship with the land spans generations and their dedication to it saved the habitat of the Fagilde’s Trapdoor spider from being destroyed by a wildfire. #SearchforLostSpecies #LostSpecies Photo credit: Sérgio Henriques