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107 Million Spiders Occupy Abandoned Facility In Baltimore, Enter If You Dare
The warmer weather is said to have caused thousands of spiders to flood homes, but if you’re concerned about the invasion, spare a thought for the owners of a waste treatment plant in the US.
The Baltimore property was so riddled with arachnids that webbing covered approximately 95 per cent of the entire building.
This was the equivalent to four acres - or three American football fields - and was said to house more than 107 million of the eight-legged critters.
These spiders included a species known as a Long-jawed orb weaver, or Tetragnathidae, typically found in damp or swamp habitats. They have long slim bodies with shiny abdomens.
Last month, researchers in Guyana discovered a puppy-sized spider living in the rainforest.
Known as the South American Goliath birdeater, the spider was spotted by entomologist and photographer Piotr Naskrecki from Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.
He wrote on his blog that the arachnid is officially the world’s largest spider, according to the Guinness World Record book, and it’s leg can grow to a foot (30cm).
It can also weigh up 6 ounces (170g), which the photographer compared to the same weight as a newborn puppy.
Orb webs produced by the Araneidae species, of which the Tetragnathidae is a member, are used for catching prey.
Other webs are used either for reproduction, or to help spiders find their way back to a specific location.
The giant web was originally reported by the owners of the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant to pest controllers in 2009, and the photos were released as part of a Halloween feature on Wired.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2819066/Scared-spiders-Look-away-Terrifying-photos-reveal-FOUR-ACRE-web-teeming-107-MILLION-arachnids.html#ixzz3Ijrc9Wr4
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The Baltimore property was so riddled with arachnids that webbing covered approximately 95 per cent of the entire building.
This was the equivalent to four acres - or three American football fields - and was said to house more than 107 million of the eight-legged critters.
These spiders included a species known as a Long-jawed orb weaver, or Tetragnathidae, typically found in damp or swamp habitats. They have long slim bodies with shiny abdomens.
Last month, researchers in Guyana discovered a puppy-sized spider living in the rainforest.
Known as the South American Goliath birdeater, the spider was spotted by entomologist and photographer Piotr Naskrecki from Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.
He wrote on his blog that the arachnid is officially the world’s largest spider, according to the Guinness World Record book, and it’s leg can grow to a foot (30cm).
It can also weigh up 6 ounces (170g), which the photographer compared to the same weight as a newborn puppy.
Orb webs produced by the Araneidae species, of which the Tetragnathidae is a member, are used for catching prey.
Other webs are used either for reproduction, or to help spiders find their way back to a specific location.
The giant web was originally reported by the owners of the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant to pest controllers in 2009, and the photos were released as part of a Halloween feature on Wired.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2819066/Scared-spiders-Look-away-Terrifying-photos-reveal-FOUR-ACRE-web-teeming-107-MILLION-arachnids.html#ixzz3Ijrc9Wr4
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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