A Remarkable Discovery: The Spider Megacity of Sulfur Cave
A cave straddling the border of Greece and Albania has recently unveiled a fascinating treasure trove of spiders. Deep within Sulfur Cave, a team of scientists has stumbled upon what could potentially be the largest spider web ever documented, spanning over 100 square meters.
Within this expansive silken structure reside more than 100,000 spiders belonging to two different species – 69,000 barn funnel weavers (Tegenaria domestica) and 42,000 sheetweb spiders (Prinerigone vagans).
This discovery marks the first instance of true colonial web formation in these species, showcasing unique behaviors and genetic differences from their surface-dwelling counterparts. The cave-dwelling spiders seem to be adapting to their isolated habitat.
Tests conducted on the web revealed that barn funnel weavers primarily constructed the web, while sheetweb spiders comfortably settled within the intricate structure.
The findings of this study have been published in Subterranean Biology.
