Jim McMahon/Mapman®
Spooked by spiders? Then you might want to steer clear of Sulfur Cave on the border of Albania and Greece. Late last year, scientists announced that they had found the largest spiderweb in the world there.
The silky, spongy web spans about 1,140 square feet. That’s about half the size of a tennis court! It’s home to roughly 110,000 spiders. “It looks like Halloween,” says Serban Sarbu, a scientist who has studied the cave.
The web’s size wasn’t the only shock. Scientists found two different spider species living in it: barn funnel weavers and sheet weavers. Barn funnel weavers normally prey on sheet weavers, which are smaller. But researchers say there are so many flies in the cave that the larger spiders have enough to feast on without going after their fellow arachnids.
Sulfur Cave also teems with centipedes, bats, and other creatures. Scientists say it’s rare to find this much life in a dark cave. But this one contains hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten eggs. The gas enables tiny organisms called microbes to survive. They, in turn, become food for the flies that the spiders then snatch up. Talk about tasty meals for all!
—Ellen Song