A New Species of Spider Was Found in the Himalayas — and it Has a Smiley Face
A new species of spider, named Theridion himalayana, has been discovered in the Indian Himalayas, resembling the well-known Hawaiian Happy-Face spider. This finding was unexpected, as researchers were initially focused on studying ants rather than spiders. The Himalayan Happy-Face spider exhibits a unique smile-like pattern and has evolved separately from its Hawaiian counterpart despite their similarities.
- ▪The Himalayan Happy-Face spider was found at elevations above 6,500 feet in Uttarakhand, India.
- ▪Researchers documented 32 different color forms of the spider across three locations.
- ▪DNA analysis revealed an 8.5 percent genetic difference between the Himalayan and Hawaiian species.
3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 30 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Newly discovered spider has happy face on its back — Popular Science
- ▪ New 'Happy-Face' spider species discovered in the Indian Himalayas — Phys.org
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| Original publisher | Discover Magazine |
| Canonical URL | https://www.discovermagazine.com/a-new-species-of-spider-was-found-in-the-himalayas-and-it-has-a-smiley-face-49126 |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 19:45:00 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T19:50:02.964Z |
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One of the most recognizable spiders in the world — the Happy-Face spider — was long believed to only exist on the Hawaiian Islands. But now, scientists have discovered a strikingly similar species thousands of miles away in the Indian Himalayas.The newly described species, Theridion himalayana, or the Himalayan Happy-Face Spider, was found at elevations above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) in Uttarakhand, India. Sporting a vivid red grin-like pattern on its back, the tiny spider looks remarkably similar to Hawai’i’s iconic Happy-Face spider, Theridion grallator.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Discover Magazine.
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