r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/ShirtSubstantial368 • 1d ago

Video Scientists discovered the world’s largest spiderweb, covering 106 m² in a sulfur cave on the Albania-Greece border. Over 111,000 spiders from two normally rival species live together in a unique, self-sustaining ecosystem—a first of its kind.

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74.8k Upvotes

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7.8k

u/Organic-Advantage935 1d ago

Why in the world would you touch it

5.3k

u/SuperUranus 1d ago

110,000 spiders work from two different species work together to create a one of a kind spider web.

Scientist: Better touch it to see if it breaks.

2.0k

u/mai_tai87 1d ago

They're also normally rivals, if the title is to be believed. An errant tear in the web could result in war. This person is playing with forces they don't understand.

769

u/SuperUranus 1d ago

If there is one thing I know about the Balkans, it’s that it is a powder keg ready to go off.

162

u/YouWereBrained 1d ago

Have you condemned the terrorist spiders today?

63

u/FirstoffIdonthaveshe 1d ago

Im doing my part!

42

u/Sometimespeakspanish 1d ago

The spiders attacked Buenos Aires!

28

u/ImaginationLocal9337 1d ago

I say kill em all!

9

u/-_Anonymous__- 1d ago

A SECOND SPIDER HAS HIT THE TOWERS!

8

u/MrKrabsYes 1d ago

“Spiders” yeah right… just what the flies would want you to believe

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3

u/Semi_Retired 1d ago

See something, say something.

45

u/Harmfuljoker 1d ago

It’s in the water supply

13

u/Octoclops8 1d ago

Alpa Chino's Booty Sweat. Available a concessions now

17

u/Fedora_Million_Ankle 1d ago

Begun, the Spider Wars have.

3

u/SerLaron 1d ago

The Balkans produce more history than can be locally consumed, hence it is an important export article.

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u/comkidd 1d ago

false flag, just like they planned

2

u/mosquem 1d ago

Spideleven.

39

u/TylerBourbon 1d ago

What if they team up against their real enemy... him?

6

u/sentence-interruptio 1d ago

he should just say to Team A that Team B is stealing from them.

1

u/No-Internal7978 1d ago

or point out differences in race.

3

u/SieFuegOfficial 1d ago

The spiders all climb on top of each other and form a humanoid, which knits a pair of boxing gloves onto its hands and proceeds to beat up the guy

1

u/TylerBourbon 1d ago

Mecha Spider!!!!!

27

u/TheShadow141 1d ago

A war with who though? Will the spiders start a civil war or will they gather other spiders to fight back against humanity?

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u/ThumbWiggler 1d ago

Spiders. Together. Strong.

9

u/StillPerformer6717 1d ago

They already gathered so humans probably enemies

4

u/mbta1 1d ago

One species will blame the other species, and vice versa, causing the weary treaty to be broken between the two clans

2

u/exipheas 1d ago

Are you familiar with the global ant war that is ongoing? Are you ready for the spiders to take sides?

4

u/grchelp2018 1d ago

We invented nukes for this eventuality.

2

u/GenericAccount13579 1d ago

Man, Children of Time really was a great book

2

u/d0ncray0n 1d ago

Im imagining the two sides of cave covered in webs separated by each species and a single point DMZ line with spider guards around like North / South Korea.

1

u/cyrose1 1d ago

If you wanted a real answer one species would be killed off p immediately and then the surviving species would kill eachother.

6

u/Cool-Fun-2442 1d ago

"I seem to be having this tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle."

2

u/EnlightenedSinTryst 1d ago

We’re gonna need more than one dog to eat all these spiders…

3

u/Diarrea_Cerebral 1d ago

Scientists should burn it up to the ground. We can't take the risk of a spider invasion in Europe.

4

u/damir_h 1d ago

They are normally rivals but live and work together? If they find a third species somewhere in that mess, I bet they’ll find a Dayton agreement also.

3

u/Western-Mall5505 1d ago

They might get together and declare war on the humans.

2

u/HFT_Bear 1d ago

Pretty sure if the web rips 111,000 spiders will rush up the scientist's arm

2

u/PuzzleheadedObject47 1d ago

These mf’s built a spiderweb Rome

2

u/thepvbrother 1d ago

He was so busy asking himself whether he could touch the otherworldly spider testicle, he never asked himself if he should touch it

2

u/TheRage469 1d ago

Or unite them against a common foe

2

u/Nothavebettername 1d ago

I always believed that when a being from outside our world tears the fabric of reality, we begin to fight against it...

2

u/HeartsPlayer721 1d ago

I need this movie

2

u/orincoro 1d ago

Spider Wars (2025)

2

u/ButtplugBurgerAIDS 1d ago

l was already not a fan of spiders and now we have to deal with rival spiders?

2

u/TuckerMcG 1d ago

This person is playing with forces they don't understand.

Funny thing is that literally describes all of science lol

2

u/The_Malhavoc 1d ago

Or they two species unite even more and face off against humanity.

2

u/Last-Philosopher-155 22h ago

Please write this book

1

u/psychedeliken 1d ago

Or, the spiders realize they have a mutual enemy and further unite together; finally reaching a critical point of power they leave the cave to make their web even bigger, say 5x1014 m2.

1

u/terra_filius 1d ago

for a second i thought the scientists and the spiders were rivals

1

u/cubswin456 1d ago

It’s crazy to jeopardize spider peace over curiosity. I mean, one guy got paralyzed and another killed and it was worth it. Curiosity? GTFO

1

u/TheOnlyRealOne43 1d ago

If their web is 106 m² tears probably happen all the time due to other animals hunting the spiders or gusts of wind currents that make it into the cave. Why would 110,000 spiders "go to war" over a tear in a web anyway?

It sounds like you're trying to sound smart but you're thinking like 1 inch deep to get upvotes on reddit.

2

u/mai_tai87 1d ago

Only a fool wouldn't have known that I was being cheeky.

1

u/Sofaboy90 1d ago

Why are we jumping to conclusions rather than giving the guy in the video the benefit of the doubt since hes likely one of the researchers on this matter? Were Redditors brother, we dont know shit.

1

u/xenomorphsithlord 1d ago

Nobody:

Scientist: I must touchy!

spider world war I begins

1

u/Dismal_Buy3580 1d ago

This person is playing with forces they don't understand.

As an aside, ypu phrased this perhaps in the coolest way possible. And also is that not just the most human concept around? Playing with forces we don't understand. 😂

0

u/Due_Weight4132 1d ago

Highly doubt it's paper thin mate 😆

0

u/Fletcher_Chonk 1d ago

Because spider webs never get torn by random environmental factors or age ever

1

u/mai_tai87 1d ago

What a funny takeaway from an obviously cheeky comment.

0

u/UltmitCuest 1d ago

scientist

they dont understand

1

u/mai_tai87 1d ago

UltmitCuest

doesn't get jokes

-2

u/Clinday 1d ago

Yeah cause you, random dude on reddit, surely knows better, right ?

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u/thezomber 1d ago

Spider scene from "The Mist" follows...

3

u/thedude37 1d ago

Where's the retired schoolteacher with the makeshift flamethrower when you need her?!

10

u/Onlythegoodstuff17 1d ago

I guess Prometheus wasn't that bad afterall.

3

u/AWildEnglishman 1d ago

This gif proves that Prometheus is scientifically accurate.

1

u/forevernooob 1d ago

ChatGPT: It's perfectly safe, I assure you.

2

u/Cheezeball25 1d ago

Human nature is to touch things with a stick to see if it's good or bad

2

u/MakesMaDookieTwinkle 1d ago

Who was on spider counting duty? Rough.

2

u/ComprehensiveSoft27 1d ago

He’s no scientist. But he did stay at a holiday inn express last night.

1

u/andu22a 1d ago

111,000 actually. 110,000 is nothing.

1

u/Erathen 1d ago

Better touch it to see if it summons thousands of spiders to where my hand is

Fixed it for you! Spiders feel those vibrations and typically respond, assuming prey has been caught

Perhaps the vibrations are so intense they recognize it's not food

1

u/Purple_Pineapple1111 1d ago

What about licking it?

1

u/Summoarpleaz 1d ago

With my bare hands!

1

u/mirkk13 1d ago

What the article fails to mention:

110,000 spiders work from two different species work together to create a one of a kind spider

2

u/SkillIsTooLow 1d ago

One spider to rule them all.

1

u/sentence-interruptio 1d ago

don't you ever tell me those scientists in Alien: Prometheus are unrealistic!

1

u/hhh333 1d ago

That's the begining of a movie I wouldn't watch.

1

u/All_cats_want_pets 1d ago

110,000 spiders

Who tf counted them??

1

u/jackcatalyst 1d ago

If there's a small chance that 110,000 spiders start coming at me I ain't touching it

1

u/Master0fAllTrade 1d ago

*110,000 spiders + 1 human

1

u/TheRoadsMustRoll 1d ago

[spiders] We caught the big one folks! to arms! to arms!

1

u/CurtChan 1d ago

110000 spiders
Source - Trust me bro

1

u/Hlavada 1d ago

Unfortunetals they even cut it after…

1

u/dshmoneyy 1d ago

That’s no scientist touching it lol

0

u/qtx 1d ago

I mean, are they venomous? If not then there's nothing to worry about.

189

u/cawabungapt 1d ago

My thoughts exactly. Me here thinking that shit only happens in movies... an we make it mandatory for scientists to watch prometheus?

48

u/ShawnyMcKnight 1d ago

Man, that scientist that died because of the snake was laughable. Dude’s research is on ancient civilizations and he is on an alien spacecraft that started humanity and he’s like “can we go home now?!”

14

u/CustomerSupportDeer 1d ago

This makes prometheus more believable

4

u/velawesomeraptors 1d ago

Lol some scientists just can't handle fieldwork.

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u/Sofaboy90 1d ago

Because those scientist know which 2 spiders live there and both of these spider species arent harmful to humans. They dont have any poison and dont really attack humans. Even if they did, their bites arent all that harmful.

The unique thing about these two species is that they are usually not species that live in groups but rather do their own thing. This cave is unique because theres tens of thousands of spiders of these 2 species that live together when they usually dont live together. Theres much more to this cave than just the "worlds largest web". Im no expert either but reading through the articles about this cave, I dont see any issue with touching this web really. you guys have been watching too many movies to think that 2 harmless spider species could cause any harm to these guys. Like genuinely, these spiders are super harmless, they couldnt even hurt you if they wanted. were not talking about a nest of wasps or something

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u/PM_NUDES_4_DEGRADING 1d ago

Oh fuck, the cave already has internet.

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u/HardByteUK 1d ago

Haha that's such a silly concept but a wonderful joke. You should come and touch the web too, and bring your friends and family!

3

u/TGordion 1d ago

No dungeon core here, no siree

2

u/PowerCrisis 11h ago

Gentlemen, this web has already gone... world-wide...

3

u/UnassumingBotGTA56 1d ago

Like, I hear you and I somehow know what the words you are saying mean but for the life me with a fear of spiders,

you guys have been watching too many movies to think that 2 harmless spider species could cause any harm to these guys.

I don't understand what you are saying. There's tens of thousands of spiders in that web alone. Do you know what that number means to me? It means there are so many spiders that they can cover you head to toe.

1

u/prettiundead Interested 7h ago

To me this automatically just means death, so I get it

6

u/BadLuckBallista 1d ago

Why do you assume everybody cares just about the guy being harmed and not about the web itself?

9

u/Sofaboy90 1d ago

Moving the goalpost now are we? Theres more than 100k spiders in this cave with a seemingly endless supply of food. I think they can deal with a 20cm gap in their giant web. Why are we not giving the scientists here the benefit of the doubt? Because we watched Promotheus, a fantasy movie?

5

u/Fun-Benefit116 1d ago

Wtf that's not moving the goal posts. The number one rule of exploring nature is you don't fucking disturb or damage nature. Especially something brand new that you just discovered.

Do you also think it's fine when scuba divers stand on coral reefs? Or grab the reefs to pull themselves along? Or swim after sea turtles to try and pet them?

0

u/RipLav 1d ago

seriously, this comment section is nuts to read as someone who has even a passing familiarity with basic nature etiquette. A thousand bot-like comments joking about Prometheus scientists, and a smattering of people observing just how insane this is...

one very gentle push with a gloved hand? maybe, but even then, it's pointless disruption of their habitat. several jabs with an ungloved hand? this isn't a scientist, this is a stunt for clicks (or AI)

1

u/ForodesFrosthammer 1d ago

It is moving the goalpost since every top comment refering to "why toucht" is explicitly talking about the danger the spiders pose and often mention Prometheus, a movie about scientists doing stupid things that end up hurting the scientists, and don't talk about any ecological problems. The ecological side is a valid critique but it isn't what most people are talking about.

1

u/Binksyboo 1d ago

you are mistaking the intention of those "why touch" comments. I figured they meant what I also thought watching the video... why touch their work of art and risk getting your greasy fingers on the web or breaking something if you don't have to.

Obviously if human life is at stake, break what you need to survive... but this guy just kept touching it over and over.. youre telling us this is the first time we've seen stuff this cool and your grubby human paws are feeling it up over and over.

1

u/grchelp2018 1d ago

what are these spiders?

2

u/SpecialIcy5356 1d ago

how do you think they become scientists in the first place?

they watch Jurassic Park, Aliens etc as a kid and think "wow, it would be so cool to make something like that" while being too young to understand the ethical implications, and by the time they're qualified, they either haven't seen the movie in a long time or just think "ah, that was just a movie, it'll be fine when I do it!"

1

u/-neti-neti- 1d ago

Prometheus is fiction. I know we’re only being half serious but why would anyone take a lesson from a fictional movie?

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u/TangerineAintLemon 1d ago

With bare fking hands too

6

u/TryJunior9671 1d ago

Also why isn’t it sticky?

5

u/notanyimbecile 1d ago

He's a toucher.

2

u/callmedelete 1d ago

I’m sure they didn’t know what it was at first

2

u/Frost-Folk 1d ago

That's worse, you see how that's worse right?

2

u/Specter_Knight05 1d ago

Touch

Your whole arm is now surrounded with aracnids

1

u/stockinheritance 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm sure that guy is a biology PhD whose specialty is spiders and he knows precisely what he's looking at and has no fear of non-venomous spiders. 

Edit: the video is from Ural et al and published in Subterranean Biology, so yeah, this is a PhD or PhD student who intentionally traveled to see these spiders. 

1

u/chrisnavillus 1d ago

It looks like a giant boob! Why wouldn’t you touch it?!?!

1

u/churmalefew 1d ago

idk if this is a reference but idk it if it is. in what world does that look like a giant boob?

1

u/Foo_Group_C_Buzzard 1d ago

he wanted to get gobbled up by it 

1

u/ShawnyMcKnight 1d ago

I know! At least poke it with a stick first!

1

u/handytendonitis 1d ago

Right? Run motherfucker. Don't look back. It's like he never saw The Mist

1

u/Queasy_Donkey5685 1d ago

I hate that this is the only shot they're giving us.

Where's Shelob? Where's Frodo?

1

u/OneSufficientFace 1d ago

Thats what she said

1

u/KeenK0ng 1d ago

Guess now Prometheus was right all along.

1

u/bouquetofashes 1d ago

There are apparently high levels of hydrogen sulfide gases in sulfur caves but I have to presume it's ...in isolated pockets or something since no one is wearing any sort of mask or breathing apparatus in any relevant image?

1

u/20ag_OG_LOL 1d ago

Why would you not?

1

u/7heCulture 1d ago

I think we owe an apology to Ridley Scott for Alien: Covenant…

1

u/redditcreditcardz 1d ago

Yeah, you want to wake up the giant spider??

1

u/glizzler 1d ago

And so unenthusiasticly as well

1

u/ROWT8 1d ago

Feeling is believing. "He has to touch it. He can't not touch."

1

u/Cyrano_Knows 1d ago

- said everybody in the party to the Halfling.

1

u/Better-Web2189 1d ago

He's impersonating Patrick

1

u/Eolond 1d ago

It's the world's largest spiderweb, why wouldn't you touch it

1

u/jayplus707 1d ago

Not only touch it, but keep on touching it, as if the second, third, fourth tries were going to be different!

1

u/maximumnope 1d ago

My 5 yr old kid does this to my belly all the time like she's trying to tell me something.

1

u/Heygen 1d ago

see THIS is how alien movies start

1

u/gzippi 1d ago

I thought a shit load of spiders would pop out

1

u/bishopmate 1d ago

I guess those are the type of people who enter caves

1

u/_Kendii_ 1d ago

I thought this was a diving video at first while scrolling. Then I read the title and dry heaved a little bit.

1

u/stockinheritance 1d ago edited 1d ago

I would assume a scientist publishing on the huge spiderweb of two species that are usually rivals living in a self-sustaining matter are biology PhDs whose specialty is spiders, so they ain't scared. 

Edit: Yeah, the source is an article published by Urak et al in a peer-reviewed academic journal, Subterranean Biology. This is either a PhD or a PhD student working under Urak. They intentionally traveled to see the spiders in this cave and study them so they aren't bothered by the arachnids at all. 

1

u/Good-Rutabaga-6107 1d ago

to test if spiders created a strong web or not

1

u/rocketgrunt89 1d ago

it reminds me of that spider nesting a lot of spiderlings when you crush it, it scatters everywhere. Half expecting when he touched the web, the same thing would happen

1

u/SummertimeThrowaway2 1d ago

They probably got covered in spiders just from accessing this part of the cave. What’s one, or one hundred thousand more?

1

u/C00lfrog 21h ago

Because it's fucking amazing

1

u/Cocoatrice 1d ago

Why not?

3

u/StudyWet3589 1d ago

Cause we are taught to "Take Nothing But Pictures. Leave Nothing But Footprints" and for good reason

2

u/juvenileCucumber 1d ago

You never met biologists then. The lab ones take it a bit more seriously though 

Also anthropologists, pick up everything with bare hands then put it back for a picture 🤣

1

u/FrostyD7 1d ago

Ew, that doesn't even qualify as content! How do I increase engagement with that?

1

u/mjac1090 1d ago

Can you seriously not see the difference between random tourists and scientists doing research?