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Millions of Spiders Seen In Mass Dispersal Event In Nova Scotia

Posted by samzenpus on from the arachnophobia dept.

Freshly Exhumed writes A bizarre and oddly beautiful display of spider webs have been woven across a large field along a walking trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. "Well it's acres and acres; it's a sea of web," said Allen McCormick. Prof. Rob Bennett, an expert on spiders who works at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC, Canada, said tiny, sheet-web weaver spiders known as Erigoninae linyphiidae most likely left the webs. Bennett said the spiders cast a web net to catch the wind and float away in a process known as ballooning. The webs in the field are the spiders' drag lines, left behind as they climb to the top of long grass to be whisked away by the wind. Bennett said it's a mystery why these spiders take off en masse.

11 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. Underwhelming picture by raburton · · Score: 5, Funny

    Once you find the link to the article (after links to every vaguely related topic) you'll find a very underwhelming picture of some bits of web in a field. I was expecting something like the scale and impressiveness of a crop circle in web form, not a few bits of tatty web on the tops of some long grass.

    1. Re:Underwhelming picture by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      I've seen fields and yards covered with spider webs like that all over the place. They're probably always there, but sometimes when there is the presence of dew and sunlight at just the right angle, you can see them clearly. I thought everybody had seen them.

      That photo was unimpressive. I've taken better ones.

    2. Re:Underwhelming picture by Mr0bvious · · Score: 2

      Pfffft, agreed, a bit more like this.

      --
      Never happened. True story.
    3. Re:Underwhelming picture by Thanshin · · Score: 2

      I expected little less than this

    4. Re:Underwhelming picture by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 2

      That isn't "long grass"! Those are pine trees! Run for your lives!

    5. Re:Underwhelming picture by Xest · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Bennett said it's a mystery why these spiders take off en masse."

      No it's not. Have you seen how fucking cold it gets in Canada in the winter?

  2. So long... by Spasmodeus · · Score: 2

    ...and thanks for all the flies?

  3. Re:The little spiders are one or two millimetres l by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

    Just remember that 'one or two millimetres long' falls well into 'trivially inhale-able by accident' territory.

    Think of all those little spider feet tickling in your sinuses!

  4. Spiders flee before it by Sez+Zero · · Score: 3, Funny

    If I've learned nothing else from Harry Potter... obviously a Basilisk has invaded Cape Breton. Beware, Mudbloods!

  5. Unlike Australia 2 years ago.. by fleeped · · Score: 2

    which was mega-awesome:
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/... [wow look at that spelling]

  6. Re:Cricket pitch by Buchenskjoll · · Score: 2

    At least now we know that cricket makes them take off, and that's no mystery at all!

    --
    -- Make America hate again!