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Nature & Environment

Cities are causing spiders to grow bigger

By T.K. Randall
August 21, 2014 · Comment icon 19 comments

Cities are proving to be a good place for spiders to live. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Konrad Summers
A new study has shown that urban areas are causing spiders to grow larger and multiply more rapidly.
Researchers collected more than two hundred golden orb weaver spiders from parks and bushland around Sydney in Australia and found that, when compared to their counterparts living in the wilds, the specimens appeared to be decidedly bigger.

As it turns out, city-dwelling arachnids grow to larger sizes, are better fed and have more babies than those living in the countryside.
The researchers believe that a number of factors may be contributing to this such as the tendency for street lights to attract insects that the spiders then catch and eat.

The paved surfaces and lack of vegetation also tend to make cities warmer, prompting spider growth.

Despite posing a problem for arachnophobes however a booming spider population is actually considered to a good thing in cities as not only do the arachnids help control pest species within urban areas but they are also a prime food source for the local birds as well.

Source: Wired | Comments (19)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #10 Posted by Princess Serenity 10 years ago
No thanks!
Comment icon #11 Posted by DieChecker 10 years ago
My wife will be Thrilled... NOT!
Comment icon #12 Posted by Alas_113 10 years ago
Looks like our friendly neighborhood spiderman, will have some competition... or not!
Comment icon #13 Posted by Oppono Astos 10 years ago
I'm off to the army surplus store for a flamethrower...
Comment icon #14 Posted by freetoroam 10 years ago
I'm off to the army surplus store for a flamethrower... Be careful, remember what happened to the last guy who tried something similar: A man who almost burned his house to the ground had been trying to kill a SPIDER using spray paint and a lighter. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-burns-down-house-trying-3870557#ixzz3B3c2yysh
Comment icon #15 Posted by Kaikou 10 years ago
Well, I'll be leaving the planet now. Enjoy the giant spider invasion!
Comment icon #16 Posted by John Wesley Boyd 10 years ago
Spiders that set up shop near streetlights, which attract and disorient flying insects, are always bigger. Nothing to get your knickers in a twist about.
Comment icon #17 Posted by Rose-Red Howler 10 years ago
Thank spiders for killing off an invasion of parasites and plague pests.
Comment icon #18 Posted by bubblykiss 10 years ago
Thank spiders for killing off an invasion of parasites and plague pests. Lemme get right on that after I spend the next 32 hours scrubbing invisible spiders off of the inside of my skin.
Comment icon #19 Posted by Zero Fox FK 10 years ago
Kill em' all now, while we still have a chance!


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