A 1,000-foot field of spiderweb has sprung up in western Greece in the town of Aitoliko. Now, if you fear spiders, then it may sound like a nightmare to you. The spiders are likely from the genus Tetragnatha which are commonly known as stretch spiders due to their elongated bodies. They commonly build their webs near watery habitats and some species can even walk on water, as reported by Science Alert. But this webbing is a normal occurrence and is not dangerous. Jumping Spiders Which Can Leap 6ft Found For The First Time In UK.
Molecular biologist Maria Chatzaki from the Democritus University of Thrace in Greece explained, “These spiders are not dangerous for humans and will not cause any damage to the area’s flora. The spiders will have their party and will soon die.” She also pointed out that this not the first time this has happened and it’s a relatively common phenomenon which can occur every couple of years. Doctors Find Live Spider Spinning Webs Inside Chinese Man's Ear, Watch Video!
Watch Video of 1000-Foot Long Spiderweb
So why does this occur? According to Chatzaki, it’s a combination of timing and opportunism. She explains, “When an animal finds abundant food, high temperatures and sufficient humidity, it has ideal conditions to be able to make large populations. This phenomenon has arisen from a population explosion of this spider.” Basically, when the conditions are appropriate, these spiders get a chance to overeat and mate.
The locals should probably be thanking them as one of the things they eat is mosquitoes which Chatzaki notes have also been seen in the area in greater numbers than usual. In 2015, a similar event was reported with Tetragnatha spiders in Dallas, Texas where webbing took over a ‘football-field’ length area.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2018 11:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).