Giant spiderweb covers Texas park
September 1, 2007A giant web filled with millions of spiders has covered several acres along a nature trail in Texas.
The web, located in Lake Tawakoni State Park near Wills Point, Texas, has encased several mature oak trees and even blocks out the sun in some places, The New York Times said Friday.
Texas A&M University spider expert Allen Dean told the newspaper he has never seen a web of this size outside of the tropics, where communal spider webs are most active.
Scientists say the web may be a combined effort of social cobweb spiders or it may be an example of ballooning, in which lightweight spiders throw out silk filaments to ride the air currents.
State biologist Mike Quinn said a large number of crickets and webworms in the area after this summer's record-breaking rains may have also contributed to the web.
"You'd have to get a lot of spiders together and feed them a whole lot of food to make a web that big," he said.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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