In this article, you will read news about research conducted on spider webs that are millions of years old.
Have you ever touched a spider web? If you have, you know that, despite being somewhat sticky, it can easily crumble. That being the case, you might find it hard to believe that a spider web can last for millions of years. However, Spanish and American researchers have found a spider web thought to be at least 110 million years old, and it also contained some insects caught in the web and pieces of amber (ancient tree resin hardened as rock).
Because much of the web has been fragmented, its exact appearance remains unknown. However, researchers believe this web isn’t very different from the sticky, circular webs we see in our backyards. According to spider expert Jessica Garb and others, these types of spider webs may be much older. Spiders can spin similar webs by circling previously spun webs. The great-grandmother of the spider thought to have spun this web lived 136 million years ago and was the first spider to spin it. In this case, we could say that the oldest sections of this spider web were spun while dinosaurs were still alive.
Interesting Facts and Unknowns About Spiders
Here are some surprising facts about spiders:
They can walk on water.
They recycle their silk by eating their own webs and reusing it.
95% of the spiders we see in our homes have never been outside. They are adapted to enclosed spaces, and if they go outside, their chances of survival are quite low.
Spider silk is five times stronger than steel of the same weight.
They can survive underwater for hours by putting themselves into a coma-like state.
According to an interesting study, if you are afraid of spiders, you are more likely to see one.
Spiders are afraid of ants.
Female black widow spiders eat the males after mating.
Spiders have blue blood.
They can live on all continents except Antarctica.
There are over 38,000 known spider species, and experts believe at least as many remain undiscovered.
Spider phobia (arachnophobia) is one of the most common phobias worldwide. Interestingly, however, this fear is less common in tropical regions where larger, hairier spiders live.
Spiders protect our gardens and crops by eating many harmful insects. They also help plants reproduce by carrying their pollen.
Most spiders have 8 eyes, but some species may have 6 or fewer.
Spiders have poor long-distance vision. They sense approaching dangers through sensitive hairs on their bodies.
Male spiders are generally smaller than females.
The tarantula is the largest member of the spider family and can live for over 30 years.
It is estimated that an average of 1 million spiders live on every acre of land. This number can reach up to 3 million in tropical regions.
According to one estimate, there is definitely a spider within 10 meters of you.
When spiders with eight legs walk, they always have four legs on the ground and four legs in the air.
Some male spiders bring dead flies or insects as “gifts” to court females.
According to an ancient Greek myth, a girl named Arachne wove so beautifully that she made the goddess Athena jealous, and Athena turned her into a spider.
The venom of the female black widow spider is 15 times more potent than that of a rattlesnake.
The average lifespan of many spider species is approximately one year.
