A spider species discovered in India has been named Eriovixia gryffindori because its unusual shape reminded the researchers who found it of the magical sorting hat from the Harry Potter books. When the hat was placed on a new student’s head at Hogwarts, it would come to life and determine which house the young wizard would belong to. The hat was originally owned by Godric Gryffindor, hence the Gryffindor reference in the spider’s name. The scientists said the hat shape helps the spider blend in with dried leaves so it can protect itself from predators in the Kan forest of the Western Ghats, a mountainous region in southwest India. The new species was described in the Indian Journal of Arachnology. — See photo at Seeker