A spider web in the north Dallas suburb of Lakeside Park passes from tree to tree and stretches about as long as a football field and up to 40 feet high. Can a spider really spin a web that size? No, but hundreds of spiders can, if they cooperate with each other.
Most spiders work alone, but these massive webs encompass hundreds of spiders -- seemingly working together. Scientists suggest the webs are strung in cooperation in order to take advantage of rare influxes of insects, a hatch of midges or other water-borne insects from the nearby lake.
The spider species has not yet been identified, but is believed to be similar to the Tetragnathus guatamalensis species that built a similar community web in Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas, in 2007. They are not harmful to people, and experts say it’s best to just let them be. Alrighty then. -via Boing Boing
(Image credit: Texas A&M/Mike Merchant)