A
spider web in the north Dallas suburb of Lakeside Park passes from tree
to tree and stretches about as long as a football field and up to 40
feet high. Can a spider really spin a web that size? No,
but hundreds of spiders can, if they cooperate with each other.
Most
spiders work alone, but these massive webs encompass hundreds of
spiders -- seemingly working together. Scientists suggest the webs are
strung in cooperation in order to take advantage of rare influxes of
insects, a hatch of midges or other water-borne insects from the nearby
lake.
The spider species has not yet been identified, but is believed to be similar to the
Tetragnathus guatamalensis species that built a similar community web
in Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas, in 2007. They are not harmful to
people, and experts say it’s best to just let them be. Alrighty then.
No comments:
Post a Comment