Spiders

November 28, 2002 1:07 PM

Spiders weave huge natural wonder in B.C. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
posted by nemesis (17 comments total)

This is what MST3K would term "Good old fashioned nightmare fuel". Gahhhh.
posted by Scoo at 1:13 PM on November 28, 2002

has FOX bought the rights to make the movie about this? along the lines of the Killer Bees movie or the Killer Fire Ants movie
posted by RobbieFal at 1:20 PM on November 28, 2002

Oh man, the movie came true! This is so cool! RobbieFal, on preview, this movie already exists. It's worth watching as a good bad movie.
posted by whatzit at 1:39 PM on November 28, 2002

I'm surprised they didn't get some scientists out there to study how to get more spiders to produce this kind of web. Spider silk is incredibly strong, but the problem is, how do you get the spiders to spin enough to harvest? The behavior in these localized spiders could be encouraged and used to study the properties of mass-produced spider silk.

Then again, I've got enough cobwebs in my house. Maybe we should just be glad that this isn't an episode of life imitates Hitchcock.
posted by fatbobsmith at 1:40 PM on November 28, 2002

RACK HANSEN R00LZJ))!

I'm wondering, with a sense of nauseated wonder, just what the "enormous quantity of high quality, nutritious prey" might have been.
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:47 PM on November 28, 2002

Cool. Burning Man for spiders! Is Phish playing next year?
posted by davebush at 1:50 PM on November 28, 2002

I, for one, welcome etc etc etc.....
posted by simcd at 1:52 PM on November 28, 2002

Wow, that really is something else. Did you see the picture with all the spiders on it? Good thing they aren't poisonous! Even better that the farmer knew well enough to get someone out to take a look.
posted by Salmonberry at 2:54 PM on November 28, 2002

I photographed a similar event in Iowa last week. Two of our neighbors front yards lightly covered with webs made by very small spiders. What was really unusual was the two eighty year olds and three sixtysomethings that also witnessed the event. None of them had ever seen anything like this before.
posted by unklspot at 6:43 PM on November 28, 2002

I think they're building satellite TV recievers. You know, so they can see their friends and families on the nature shows and in the movies...
posted by agentfresh at 8:30 PM on November 28, 2002

My vote: They're evolving to a higher level of intelligence and are trying to construct the first Spider City.
posted by Jonasio at 10:43 PM on November 28, 2002

They are constructing one of those missle defense shields we've been hearing so much about.
posted by Fabulon7 at 6:06 AM on November 29, 2002

One of the things that has kept spider silk farms from becoming reality is that the spiders would eat each other.

I wonder if this is a result of a certain spider changing behavior or a new breed emerging.
posted by john at 9:31 AM on November 29, 2002

If this is a new co-operative spider breed, can I be the first to vote for pre-emptive extinction?
posted by rusty at 9:34 AM on November 29, 2002

The Vancouver Sun now has an article on it as well.
posted by Salmonberry at 9:35 AM on November 29, 2002

...oh jesus! some of our genetically enhanced super spiders escaped...
posted by rhyax at 5:22 PM on November 29, 2002

The funniest is that it looks like the guy [in the pic] already had a hat made out of the very same web he's displaying!

Couldn't have photoshopped it better!

Glad I didn't run off the road into it on a moonlit night.
posted by alicesshoe at 9:48 PM on November 29, 2002