By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com
Published: 23:23 GMT, 12 February 2019 | Updated: 23:23 GMT, 12 February 2019
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A new species of tarantula discovered in Angola is quite unlike anything scientists have seen before.
The unusual creature boasts a long, backward-facing horn that juts from its head – and, unlike other so-called unicorn spiders, the Angola species’ protuberance is completely soft.
Researchers say the new tarantula belongs to a group known as the horned baboon spiders, though the purpose of its strange horn is so far still a mystery.
The unusual creature discovered in Angola boasts a long, backward-facing horn that juts from its head – and, unlike other so-called unicorn spiders, the Angola species’ protuberance is completely soft
Tarantulas have a stiff outer shell known as an exoskeleton which protects the spider's internal organs.
But to grow larger, they must shed their previous exoskeleton, and grow a new one.
To do this, the tarantula must contract its abdomen, pushing fluid into the upper body. It does this several times in its life.
Before the tarantula starts moulting, it goes through several other physical changes.
A bald spot on the spider's abdomen becomes larger, and the skin underneath changes from pink to black.
The tarantula's eating habits also change in the lead-up to the molting.
The tarantula stops eating entirely and lays still for two weeks before it molts.
A team with the National Geographic Okavango