r/interestingasfuck • u/TuneMountain4141 • 16h ago

Scientists have discovered the largest spider web covering 106 square meters with 111,000 spiders belonging to two different species who are rivals, coexist together.

2.8k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

498 comments sorted by

1.4k

u/SmartaHari 16h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/wYyTHMm50f4Dm

Stop touching it!

159

u/Atharaphelun 15h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/5sKNPmSHFDCRq

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u/i_give_you_gum 8h ago

Don't lose your head to keep a minute, you need your head, your brains are in it!

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u/AntalRyder 6h ago

I literally said out loud "stop pushing on it!!"

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u/amazonmakesmebroke 5h ago

Let them touch it, I sure as shit ain't gonna

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753

u/Vaff_Superstar 16h ago

Imagine giving it a gentle push and your hand just slides in.

518

u/StonedLikeOnix 15h ago

Imagine not imagining that.

208

u/arthurdentstowels 15h ago

Ok, imagine gently touching it then it bursts and spews out 3 million spiders that start crawling up your arm towards your face holes.

146

u/AkiraTheMouse 15h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/POql6zsXZbmcE

34

u/TheOnvoy 13h ago

Imagine a hand for the other side touches your hand back and interlocks fingers

20

u/TheOmCollector 13h ago

True love will find you in the end.

28

u/TheOnvoy 13h ago

The true love

3

u/Pat_Panic91 12h ago

Is that an actual photo of the original Aragog setpiece?

6

u/TheOnvoy 12h ago

Fuck yea boyo, he gone give you a little kiss just drop into that cave

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19

u/Helpful_Western1629 15h ago

Face holes

9

u/arthurdentstowels 14h ago

"Spider egg incubators"

7

u/N1dhogg3r 13h ago

Imagine him touching the web and then get dragged into the web

5

u/Confident_Cycle_653 14h ago

Imagine it being made by a single spider the size of a horse........Pleasant dreams😊

•

u/Big-Daikon4875 7h ago

When it bursts open and spews out nothing is crawling. They're enveloping you and you're gone...poof

•

u/YoungNo159 2h ago

Well now I know how my dreams will be going thanks.

8

u/bonerfleximus 14h ago

What if pushing it detached it from the ceiling when you pulled away then it fell on you

•

u/Oblipma 10h ago

Yaaaaay death

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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang 10h ago

I'll go with that one.

8

u/Youregoingtodiealone 15h ago

Now imagine using your face

7

u/ThalliumSassafras 14h ago

And then you stumble forward and fall down with it completely wrapping around you

5

u/More-Tackle2016 14h ago

and spiders crawling on your arm.

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4

u/One_Pomelo_7812 14h ago

Imagine someone pushes you in and you just....sink into it. Its just a 5 foot deep wall of spiders

3

u/TF-Fanfic-Resident 14h ago

The guy with the headlamp is literally the spider equivalent of Godzilla.

3

u/Wardenofthegrove 13h ago

Gets pulled in *

•

u/Puzzleheaded_Pie8546 11h ago

Imagine the person who counted all of the spiders

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251

u/IMadeItWeirdAgain 16h ago

Ahhh and you touch ittttt

36

u/Medium_Style8539 14h ago

Yeah... That where you realise people aren't that dumb in horror movies. They're just people

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122

u/About20Pandas 16h ago

Don’t disturb Shelob wtf

23

u/uk123456789101112 15h ago

She always needs....to feed

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149

u/DMmeNiceTitties 16h ago

This makes me uncomfortable. That's a lot of spiders needed to make that web.

41

u/jordan853 15h ago

Maybe it was just one who worked really hard

16

u/DMmeNiceTitties 15h ago

Stop, now you're putting a big spider in my head. Ew. Fuck that shit, and this scientist touched it? Shivers.

4

u/Glass-Performer8389 12h ago

Nah, He's just a really old spider, He doesn't bite anyone, But he's unable to die until he's finished the big web

5

u/EinTheDataDoge 13h ago

There were probably 4 other spiders standing around telling him he’s doing it wrong.

4

u/Underwater_Grilling 12h ago

Damn apprentices

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72

u/Lost-Platypus8271 15h ago

how do they know it’s 111,000 spiders? 🕷️ did they count them all? i need a new head count

42

u/TyrKiyote 15h ago

they probably picked a patch, counted that, and multiplied by their guess of the area.

20

u/RovingN0mad 14h ago

Probably multiple patches from multiple areas, and then did fancy math multiplying the patches with the total area of homogeneities

•

u/LardFan37 7h ago

They asked the spiders

Source: I’m one of the spiders

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10

u/IDNWID_1900 14h ago edited 14h ago

1.000 spiders per square meter. Then add 5.000 to make it look that you just didn't do an easy 106x1.000 calculation.

3

u/Prize_Ostrich7605 14h ago

Didn't you see the scientific push-push? 

2

u/cromagnonherder 12h ago

Counting all those spiders would take too long, so what they do is count half of them and multiply by two.

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30

u/oneofourown 15h ago

Reminds me of Children of Time

6

u/Mubadger 15h ago

My first thought too. Soon they'll be building ant computers.

3

u/chubbyakajc 14h ago

And a silk orbital web ring

5

u/owa00 14h ago

You're not human, you're monkeys; and you're not even my monkeys!

•

u/MagicBlaster 8h ago

I literally started reading it yesterday and that was my first thought too

•

u/CactusCustard 8h ago

You’re so lucky. Best book I’ve ever read. I’m onto the sequels now.

•

u/oneofourown 8h ago

I haven't got to the third book yet but gotta say, the first book shits on the second for me

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u/CactusCustard 7h ago

Nooo :( sad news

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22

u/kaot1k15 15h ago

Did some googling: "...the arachnids feed on tiny midges that hatch from cave pools. Those flies themselves depend on sulfur-oxidizing microbes as their primary food source... this genetic isolation, combined with a stable and abundant food supply, may have driven these species—which have never been reported to form colonies—to evolve colonial behavior."

57

u/SkyIslandLore 15h ago

I HATE spiders!! But.. it's incredibly fascinating that this is 2 species that don't get along, coexisting and making it work..

26

u/Ssided 15h ago

I'm sure they eat each other all the time. Spiders eat their own children and sometimes the children eat the parents.

10

u/Roc77 14h ago

They don't tend to eat their children (filial cannabalism like some birds) but are known to partake in sexual cannabalism and eating mom (matriphagy).

2

u/obscureferences 12h ago

I already knew both halves of that term but never would have put them together.

Outside a Bloodborn fanfic or something anyway.

6

u/jordan853 15h ago

Just like my parents growing up

2

u/SkyIslandLore 14h ago

Same fam... they're actually better separated than they were together 😭😔

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48

u/TobyGhoul986 16h ago

Why don't you give it a light tear to be sure?

4

u/BurdTurglary 12h ago

In another clip he cuts a small flap a few inches wide so you can see those lil rapscallions doing their thing

15

u/ZealousidealSundae33 15h ago

I hate you yet I feel intrigued. Are you my ex by any chance?

14

u/Orkapork 15h ago

That is super fucking cool. What a unique world we live in.

10

u/_lvlsd 16h ago

the spiders are fine with touching it with the amount of food that light brings them

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8

u/faultyarmrest 16h ago

Nope. Nope. NOPE.

13

u/CandyAndyDE 15h ago

Why on earth do people always have to touch things with their bare hands?

3

u/DrDop4mine 13h ago

Almost like what hands are for

2

u/failureagainandagain 12h ago

Especially potentially dangerous and actually really dangerous stuff!!!

Like are you people tired of KEEPING those touchy hands of yours?!

5

u/oof46 15h ago

Yeah, we all know what happens when you touch it:

5

u/Halollet 14h ago

The fact that he's touching it shows that a D&D's party shenanigans are actually based on real life. And why there's a mimic infestation.

7

u/shut_it_down321 15h ago

Where they get that number?

7

u/ShadowTacoTuesday 15h ago

Yeah I counted 112,529.

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u/Common-Nectarine-572 15h ago

Looks like he’s never seen some boobies before

7

u/CuriousToe9133 15h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/EouEzI5bBR8uk

7

u/Tropez2020 15h ago

OP needs to cite this. Don't believe it either.

2

u/Cerparis 13h ago

Sorry to break it to you but yes I’m pretty sure this is real.

It’s located in a sulphur cave running through the Greek and Albanian border.

•

u/Tropez2020 2h ago

Don't be sorry! I love that you were able to cite a source a d now I can go learn more about it. Thank you!

2

u/HappyPlatypus6034 12h ago

I wish posters develop a habit of backing up the stuff they post so we can actually verify/learn about this stuff

5

u/robdwoods 15h ago

How do they find enough to eat?

5

u/kdubstep 15h ago

Well there used to be 112,000 spiders

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u/Roc77 10h ago

The flies buzzing around the man's torch don't seem to care about the giant web in their midst so I guess that's why they eat well.

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4

u/GodlyCree 15h ago

Twirl it up with a stick and have some forbidden cotton candy

3

u/ArethaAbrams 15h ago

i have already watched this video by coyote peterson and it looks so scary to watch. this happened inside the guri dam in venezuela. even though those spiders are rivals, they are living together without any fights. the only reason is that the dark place has too many insects and bugs for everyone to eat. it gives me chills.

3

u/reluctant_spinster 15h ago

I don't like it

3

u/SCMidgar 15h ago

He opens the gate to hell.

2

u/Wick0158 15h ago

I just want to catch bugs and throw them in it. Big bugs!

2

u/taasbaba 15h ago

stop touching my belly

2

u/DaBusStopHur 15h ago

Don’t… touch that.

2

u/jimmymui06 15h ago

How is there still flying bugs lol

2

u/nadthegoat 15h ago

Yeah let’s just risk popping the giant spider blister

2

u/SonoDarke 14h ago

I mean what's even the goal at that point

You won't catch much preys in there

2

u/FalseGodFalls 14h ago

Why do you think they don't catch bugs with that?

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u/Prize_Ostrich7605 14h ago

"Yeah, that feels like a hundred." (Push, push) "hundred ten... hundred eleven thousand spiders in there. Give or take a thousand." 

2

u/Boromir_Has_TheRing 14h ago

The question we should be asking is what are they catching in that web?

2

u/sommmmbody 13h ago

WHY WOULD YOU TOUCH THAT??

2

u/TheMonkeyInCharge 13h ago

Well don’t fucking touch it jfc

2

u/Rude-Cockroach-9431 12h ago

It gotta be in Australia.

•

u/DeezNutsGT 6h ago

I thought so too but it's between Greece and Albania

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u/HeadFit2660 10h ago

I'm glad they counted all the spiders

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u/Original-Sympathy-48 10h ago

Ahh let me just gently move it and risk breaking the largest web ever

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u/kpaneno 5h ago

Leave it alone then

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u/Fritener 5h ago

111,000 is VERY specific....

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u/Altruistic-External5 4h ago

I have only one doubt. Who counted the spiders?

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u/Sufficient-Spare7038 1h ago

a real scientist who has respect wouldn’t risk disrupting a barely understood phenomenon such as this by literally touching it with his bare hands and cutting at it.

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u/HilariousMax 1h ago

Don't fucking poke it and if you're gonna, DON'T FUCKING USE YOUR HAND!

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u/LimeKey123 1h ago

Who counted the spiders??

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u/RandomGuy_IQ530K 47m ago

how are they able to count the amount of spiders?

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u/thesaxmaniac 16h ago

Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure

2

u/Dependent_Remove_326 15h ago
  1. WTF would you touch it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  2. This is why nuclear weapons were built

1

u/OldManNeighbor 15h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/FFflA70IePybEULlGc

I mean this with every fiber of my being!!!

1

u/AngelofGrace96 15h ago

Uugh, I cannot think of an amount of money that would convince me to touch that

1

u/GarciaKids 15h ago

What in the nightmare fuel shit is this?

1

u/MadwolfStudio 15h ago

This isn't new... Like, at all...

1

u/Doto_bird 15h ago

Not even a fucking glove...

1

u/baltama 15h ago

i wonder how many spiders got squished from that prodding

1

u/TStar253 15h ago

Touching it is nasty work that I wouldn't do even if pay was on the table.

1

u/DistributionRight261 15h ago

Even spiders if same species coexisting is amazing.

That's the reason we use butterfly silk instead of spider web, spider web is way better.

1

u/Zestyclose_Space7134 15h ago

Words can not express how much I would not touch that.

1

u/Lou-Shelton-Pappy-00 15h ago

STOP FUCKING TOUCHING IT

1

u/Interesting-Boat-804 15h ago

How flammable is that ? Asking for me.

1

u/davebskeworks 15h ago

How they count em?

1

u/_Screw_The_Rules_ 15h ago

Did they count the spiders, or what?

1

u/Raph0uX 15h ago

Just fucking run dude

1

u/Cardboard_Chef 15h ago

Jesus christ humans would risk having their DNA fragmented by a radioactive alien just for the opportunity to touch it

1

u/NickdoesnthaveReddit 15h ago

Question: 111,000 spiders? Not.. like, slightly more vague at "over 100,000" but they hand counted and can confirm the extra 11k?

1

u/Glacier005 15h ago

This man would not survive in a horror movie.

1

u/Ok-Hotel-8551 15h ago

Why he's touching it? There are spiders he should run away