On the border of Albania and Greece lies the largest known spider web: more than 111,000 spiders live in it

Scientists have made an unusual discovery in the Sulfur Cave, located near the border of Albania and Greece. Here they found the largest known colony of spider webs to date, covering about 106 square meters — roughly half a tennis court. According to the researchers, more than 111,000 spiders live in this “spider metropolis.”

A subterranean city of thousands of webs

At first glance, it seems that the cave walls are covered with a single giant web. In fact, it is a complex system of thousands of separate funnel-shaped webs, intertwined with one another and forming a single colony.

During the study, the scientists counted about 69,000 spiders of the species Tegenaria domestica and more than 42,000 representatives of the species Prinerigone vagans.

Scientific sensation

The main value of the discovery lies not only in the size of the colony.

For the first time, scientists recorded the coexistence of two spider species that do not usually live together. Moreover, Tegenaria domestica are capable of preying on the smaller Prinerigone vagans, yet in the cave they coexist peacefully, forming a single colony.

Why was this possible?

The researchers believe that the unusual conditions of the Sulfur Cave are to blame.

There is absolute darkness here, and the basis of the local ecosystem consists of bacteria that obtain energy from sulfur compounds. They feed numerous small insects, which in turn serve as food for the spiders.

According to experts, millions of gnats and other small dipterans may be present in the cave at the same time. Thanks to such an abundance of prey, the spiders practically do not have to compete for food, which most likely allowed the two species to coexist in the same space.

Why the discovery matters

The study showed that the spider populations living in the Sulfur Cave are already different from their surface-dwelling relatives. Scientists believe that prolonged isolation and extreme conditions are gradually changing their behavior and genetics.

This unique colony may help researchers better understand how animals adapt to life in extreme environments and why even natural predators can sometimes coexist peacefully if conditions allow them to avoid competition.