In Short: Researchers exploring Sulfur Cave on the border of Albania and Greece found a massive combined spider web that covers more than 1,000 square feet and houses over 111,000 spiders from two species. It is the largest web complex ever documented [1].
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If you do not love spiders, you might want to skip this cave. Scientists studying Sulfur Cave reported that its ceiling and walls are coated in a dense mat of interconnected webs. They estimate that more than 111,000 spiders from two usually solitary species share this space, which stretches across roughly 106 square meters of rock in total [1].The species are barn funnel weavers and a smaller sheet weaving spider. Outside the cave, these spiders typically live alone. Inside this dark, sulfur rich environment they form a kind of accidental colony. Thousands of individual funnel shaped webs connect into a single network that scientists describe as the largest spider web structure known so far [1].The cave has its own strange food chain. Bacteria feed on sulfur, tiny midges feed on the bacterial biofilms, and the spiders feed on the midges. Over time the spiders inside the cave have shifted genetically and have different gut microbes compared to their relatives on the surface, which suggests that they are adapting to this extreme habitat [1].
- If you ever visit caves, remember that they can house fragile ecosystems. Follow local rules and avoid touching formations or wildlife [1].
- Use stories like this as a reminder that even small creatures can create record breaking structures in the right conditions.
Bottom Line
The Sulfur Cave spider colony sounds like something from a monster movie, but it is a real and carefully studied ecosystem. It also gives scientists a rare look at how species can change their behavior and biology when they live in a completely dark and isolated environment [1].
