Giant Web in Texas!

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Link to article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/11/national/a133614D18.DTL&tsp=1

(09-11) 18:29 PDT Wills Point, Texas (AP) --

A variety of spider species built on one another's work to create a sprawling web that blanketed hundreds of yards of trees and shrubs at a North Texas park, according to entomologists who studied the unusual formation.

Heavy rains early this summer created prime feeding conditions for the spiders, which worked collectively to spin a web that nearly covered a pond ripe with mosquitoes and other insects.

"Normally they are cannibalistic and their webs are separated," said Allen Dean, a Texas A&M University entomologist. "They live in harmony because there's so much food available."

The web covered 200 yards along a trail at Lake Tawakoni State Park, about 45 miles east of Dallas. The August discovery of the massive web spurred debate among entomologists about its origin and rarity.

Mike Quinn, a biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, collected spiders from the trees and sent them to Texas A&M.

Dean studied 250 specimens and identified 12 families of spiders in the same web. He said the most prevalent type is from the Tetragnathidae family, which typically weave individual orb-shaped webs.

Arachnid expert Hank Guarisco, of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., traveled to Texas to take a look for himself. He camped at the park, observing the spiders at night because some of them are nocturnal.

He said he was impressed with the variety of spiders contributing to the web.

"Tetragnathidae are usually solitary spiders who build their own webs and mind their own business," he said. "Here they are sharing a lot of foundation strands that are all over the place. They don't have individual webs anymore."

Heavy rain and wind have weighted or torn down much of the web, park volunteers said.

Researchers said the spiders are still weaving fresh webs between storms. Quinn said there continue to be lots of egg sacks, which can hold dozens or hundreds of eggs.

"The continuing number of egg sacks suggests high productivity, as biologists say," Quinn said. "The females are fat and happy so to speak. They have done well so far by laying so many eggs that the spiders continue to prosper."
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Sounds like there's going to be a helluva cannibalistic free-for-all when the insect bounty dries up, eventually. I've never heard of this sort of thing, before. Maybe the next time I hear of one will be when I'm old and grey.

I remember seeing spiders adopt a similar strategy in rain forests, in nature documentaries...but then, it was a single species of small spider. This cross-species co-habitation....why, t'aint nachural.
 
[quote name='GuyWithGun']Gross. Just imagine accidentally walking through that thing. :oldman:[/QUOTE]

Unless you're blind, I don't think you could *accidentally* walk through that.
 
[quote name='GuyWithGun']Gross. Just imagine accidentally walking through that thing. :oldman:[/QUOTE]

I find it beautiful, myself.
 
[quote name='rabbitt']I find it beautiful, myself.[/quote]
Oh, don't get me wrong, I find it amazing.

But that was just the first thing that popped in my head. It pisses me off enough when I walk into a small one.
 
The spiders clearly migrated to the states.
hosi015.jpg
 
[quote name='Sofa King Kool']I'm never going to Texas...[/quote]

no shit man fuckin spiders creep me out. ever since i saw that spider movie with william shatner in it ive been afraid of spiders and to think that either theres giant spiders out there or theyre working together is a scary thought............damn this topic now im looking aroudn the room for possible spiders.
 
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