Several new species of peacock spider – just a few millimetres long and featuring extraordinary colours – have been discovered in Western Australia and South Australia. Jürgen Otto, a biologist from Sydney, has been researching the arachnids since 2005, and has gained a significant following online with his footage. He believes there are now 48 confirmed species of peacock spider within the Maratus genus, found across Australia but particularly in Western Australia – and many more awaiting confirmation. Here: Maratus Tasmanicus, one of seven new species of peacock spiders studied by the Sydney biologist Jürgen Otto. (Photo by Jürgen Otto)

Models on the catwalk for the launch of retailer Myer’s autumn 17 collection at the University of Melbourne, Australia on February 16, 2017. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/AAP)

A ring-tailed lemur sunbakes at Melbourne Zoo in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on December 21 2016. (Photo by Julian Smith/EPA)

Hot air balloons in flight over Melbourne, Australia on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A Christmas Tree goes up in flames in a controlled-setting demonstration by the Glendale Fire Department on December 13, 2023, in Glendale, California. Firefighters showed how quickly a dried-out tree can ignite. According to the National Fire Protection Administration, Christmas trees account for hundreds of fires each year, often ignited by shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP Photo)

A kitten singed whiskers that survived the McKinney Fire hides in rocks in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California, on July 31, 2022. The largest fire in California this year is forcing thousands of people to evacuate as it destroys homes and rips through the state's dry terrain, whipped up by strong winds and lightning storms. The McKinney Fire was zero percent contained, CalFire said, spreading more than 51,000 acres near the city of Yreka. (Photo by David McNew/AFP Photo)

A forest on a mountain slope next to a township is seen on fire in Dharmsala, India, Monday, April. 25, 2022. Dry pine needles covering the forest floor and high daytime temperatures result in many forest fires in summer months. (Photo by Ashwini Bhatia/AP Photo)

SpaceX crews prep the Starship SN8 for its second test engine firing in Boca Chica, TX. on Wednesday, November 11, 2020. SpaceX will try Thursday with 2 engines to be the first ever static fire test to use the LOX header tank. (Photo by Gene Blevins/ZUMA Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)