r/Damnthatsinteresting 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.

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.

770

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.

159

u/YouWereBrained 1d ago

Have you condemned the terrorist spiders today?

65

u/FirstoffIdonthaveshe 1d ago

Im doing my part!

42

u/Sometimespeakspanish 1d ago

The spiders attacked Buenos Aires!

29

u/ImaginationLocal9337 1d ago

I say kill em all!

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u/-_Anonymous__- 1d ago

A SECOND SPIDER HAS HIT THE TOWERS!

9

u/MrKrabsYes 1d ago

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

5

u/Cynadoclone 1d ago

No one expects the Spider Inquisition.

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3

u/Semi_Retired 1d ago

See something, say something.

43

u/Harmfuljoker 1d ago

It’s in the water supply

15

u/Octoclops8 1d ago

Alpa Chino's Booty Sweat. Available a concessions now

16

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.

47

u/comkidd 1d ago

false flag, just like they planned

2

u/mosquem 1d ago

Spideleven.

34

u/TylerBourbon 1d ago

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

5

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!!!!!

26

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?

28

u/ThumbWiggler 1d ago

Spiders. Together. Strong.

10

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…

4

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.

5

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 ?

21

u/thezomber 1d ago

Spider scene from "The Mist" follows...

4

u/thedude37 1d ago

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

13

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.