Over 100,000 animals Largest spider web in the world discovered in south-eastern Europe
A double sensation: what is probably the world's largest spider web spans more than 100 square meters in a cave in south-eastern Europe. The result is an unusual collaboration between two species.
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- Researchers discover what is probably the largest spider web in the world in a cave on the border between Albania and Greece.
- Over 100,000 spiders of two different species live there.
- The web consists of countless individual funnels that have been woven together.
In a remote cave in the border region between Albania and Greece, a research team from Sapientia University in Transylvania, Romania, discovered what is probably the largest spider web in the world. It stretches over 106 square meters and is home to an estimated 111,000 spiders.
There are two different species. Around 69,000 house spiders are responsible for this architectural masterpiece. They wove together countless individual funnels. They were then joined by 42,000 canopy spiders. Both species are also common in Switzerland.
This commune is unusual and astonished the scientists. Both species are normally solitary. This is the first documented case of these spiders working together. They built the web near the entrance to the cave, where mosquitoes gather in huge swarms. They then feed on these.
