The earth is full of wonders but we're destroying most of them.
We are another invasive species I guess.
A spider web unlike any seen before
61–70 of 156 posts
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#62Spiders are super solitary creatures. I wonder, though, if they could become social.
There's youtube of: The Process of Making Friends With a Tiny Spider https://youtu.be/i6ucE1cfzmE
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#63"The cave is full of hydrogen sulphide gas in too high concentrations for most animals to survive" Over a shot of a bunch of people walking around with no masks on?
Effects of hydrogen sulphide:
>Acute inhalation exposure to high concentrations may result in collapse, respiratory paralysis, cyanosis, convulsions, coma, cardiac arrhythmias, and death within minutes.
>Exposure to low concentrations may irritate the eyes and respiratory tract, resulting in sore throat, cough, and dyspnoea.
I guess they were at the low end.
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#64What advantage would the inside spiders have? Surely they wouldn't catch any bugs?
Or are they building a structure that's attractive for bugs to enter? What's the strategy for this web?
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah same, we do not bother spiders in the house unless they jump into bed or on food or whatever, and then we just take them outside. With spiders and cats in the house we never see any flies or other insects.
I've never really understood the "spiders protect you from pests" argument. Yeah, sure they eat flies. But I'd much rather have a fly buzz past me and get stuck to some fly paper than have a spider drop from the door frame on an invisible silk thread and slam into my face, or run across my pillow. Maybe I have arachnophobia, but they're freaky little creatures that I don't want in my living space.
They eat the creatures who want to eat you. Like beautiful guardian angels
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#66What advantage would the inside spiders have? Surely they wouldn't catch any bugs? Or are they building a structure that's attractive for bugs to enter? What's the strategy for this web?
The article mentions that the caves are filled with millions of midges providing plenty of food.
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#67Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Getting used to the smell doesn't mean it's safe though... And isn't the safe level of hydrogen sulphide "if you can smell it, its not safe"?
Getting used to the smell could be an extremely bad sign, in fact. With hydrogen sulfide, olfactory fatigue can occur at 100 ppm, and paralysis of the olfactory nerve has been reported at 150 ppm[1]. Those levels are considered "immediately dangerous to life and health (level that interferes with the ability to escape)"[3] So you might think the gas is gone or that you're "used to it", but you're being poisoned and a…
Yes, that was my thought as well. As a youthful experimenter, I once did not clean up properly after myself and stopped smelling the H2S which was permeating the room (Back then, the recipe for H2S was in chapter 1 of the Chemistry sets. Good times!)
No longer noticing the smell is NOT a good thing!
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#69We did it, we discovered Pharloom.
Re: A spider web unlike any seen before
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah same, we do not bother spiders in the house unless they jump into bed or on food or whatever, and then we just take them outside. With spiders and cats in the house we never see any flies or other insects.
I've never really understood the "spiders protect you from pests" argument. Yeah, sure they eat flies. But I'd much rather have a fly buzz past me and get stuck to some fly paper than have a spider drop from the door frame on an invisible silk thread and slam into my face, or run across my pillow. Maybe I have arachnophobia, but they're freaky little creatures that I don't want in my living space.
> than have a spider drop from the door frame on an invisible silk thread and slam into my face, or run across my pillow
Rare if ever happens. Maybe 5 times in your life time. I will pay that cost any day. I have made friends with spiders. Flies spread diseases, spiders eat them. Spiders seldom bite humans and when they do, it’s nowhere near as bad as getting scratched by a cat.